The New York Cannabis Retail Association will recognize one of the architects of legalization while inviting nominations for women working on the front lines of the state’s cannabis industry.
New York Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes helped write the legislation that legalized adult-use cannabis in New York. Now, as the state’s legal market continues to evolve, she’s being recognized for the work that helped make it possible.
The New York Cannabis Retail Association (NYCRA) has announced that Peoples-Stokes will receive its Women’s Icon Award at the organization’s fourth annual Women’s Soirée, an event celebrating women in cannabis business, advocacy, and public policy.
The recognition comes as licensed operators continue navigating the financial and regulatory realities of a market built with ambitious goals for social equity and economic opportunity.
Honoring a Key Figure Behind New York Legalization
Peoples-Stokes was a leading sponsor of New York’s Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA), signed into law in March 2021. The legislation legalized adult-use cannabis while establishing a framework intended to address the harms of prohibition and expand participation in the legal industry.
Its provisions included social and economic equity licensing priorities, community reinvestment, and opportunities for people and communities disproportionately affected by cannabis enforcement. Those goals remain central to the debate over how New York’s cannabis market develops. NYCRA says its decision to honor Peoples-Stokes reflects both her role in securing legalization and her efforts to make economic opportunity part of the law’s foundation.
“We are especially proud to honor Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes, whose courage and leadership helped create opportunities for people and communities that were historically excluded from this industry,” said Britni Tantalo, NYCRA president and co-founder, in a statement announcing the award.
“Her contributions go far beyond cannabis legalization. They represent a commitment to justice, economic opportunity and giving New Yorkers a chance to build something meaningful for themselves and their families.”
Recognizing Women Working Across the Cannabis Industry
Alongside the Women’s Icon Award, NYCRA is seeking nominations for two additional categories recognizing women whose work supports New York’s legal cannabis market.
The Top 5 Women Budtenders awards will recognize retail professionals for customer service, cannabis knowledge, consumer education, and contributions to their communities.
The Top 5 Women Brand Ambassadors awards will recognize professionals who build relationships between brands, retailers, and consumers through education, collaboration, and industry outreach.
The nominations offer an opportunity to recognize people whose contributions often receive less attention than those of business founders and executives. NYCRA is accepting nominations from dispensary owners, managers, brands, colleagues, and consumers.
Nominations close October 22, 2026, with recipients scheduled to be announced October 30, 2026. Submissions can be made through the NYCRA Women’s Cannabis Awards nomination page.
Celebrating Progress While Looking Ahead
NYCRA’s fourth annual Women’s Soirée is intended to bring together licensed retailers, entrepreneurs, advocates, policymakers, and other cannabis professionals for recognition and networking. The organization is also using the event to highlight challenges facing women working in New York’s legal market, including access to capital, operating costs, regulatory requirements, and business sustainability.
For Tantalo, the gathering is about ensuring that women who helped establish the industry remain part of the decisions shaping its future.
“Women have fought too hard, sacrificed too much and invested too deeply in this industry to be left out of the decisions that will determine its future,” she said.
The evening will recognize Peoples-Stokes’ legislative legacy alongside the budtenders and brand ambassadors helping shape the everyday experience of legal cannabis in New York.
Additional event information is available through the New York Cannabis Retail Association.
Images courtesy of NYCRA.
High Times is a media partner of NYCRA’s fourth annual Women’s Soirée. Event details, award information, and nomination deadlines were provided by the organizers and may be subject to change.
