Nearly three full years since New York legalized cannabis, a perfect storm of stalled regulation and several rounds of litigation have limited the Empire State to opening 50 storefronts, among the 62 licensed operations that include delivery services and other businesses rolled into medical marijuana facilities.

Nevertheless, cannabis lawyers in the Empire State say they’re optimistic that momentum is finally building toward flushing the industry with regulated storefronts, while remaining concerned about certain other aspects, including the continued existence of illicit shops.