Sourcing and Verification Policy
Our Source Hierarchy
We prioritize primary and controlling sources — the NYS Office of Cannabis Management, the NYS Cannabis Control Board, the New York State Register, the State Legislature, the Governor, state and federal courts, and official regulatory notices and datasets.
Where a primary source is not available, we turn to direct institutional sources (company filings, employer career pages, accredited institutions) and then reputable trade and news reporting. Social posts, forums, and AI-generated summaries may point us toward a lead but never independently support a factual claim.
Verification Rules
For laws, regulations, licensing, enforcement, recalls, deadlines, and court matters, we locate the primary source whenever reasonably available, and we confirm consequential claims with a second reliable source when the primary record is incomplete or ambiguous.
We distinguish proposed rules from adopted rules, bills from enacted law, guidance from binding requirements, allegations from findings, and administrative decisions from court rulings. We never infer a legal requirement beyond what the controlling source supports, and we never cite a search-results page as evidence.
Before We Publish
We do not recommend publication unless the central claim is verified, the source and effective dates are understood, the affected audience is identifiable, and the article adds real interpretation or utility beyond paraphrasing a source.