New York to Lock in Recreational Pot-Shop License Preferences

New Yorkers busted for smoking or selling pot when it was illegal will go to the head of the line for legal-cannabis licenses—even before big companies operating retail shops in other states.

WATCH: How Marijuana Is Both Legal and Illegal in the U.S.

Lawmakers had directed the state Cannabis Control Board to both govern the new marketplace and try to right the scales in neighborhoods, particularly communities of color that for decades were disproportionately targeted under state and federal drug laws.

The adult-use license regulations, which are up for a final board vote on Thursday, give ...