No, Carrier Pigeons Will Not Be Delivering Marijuana In New York, Retailer Confirms After Marketing Stunt Fools Media Outlets

An elaborate marketing stunt from a New York marijuana business evidently fooled more than a few media outlets into believing that carrier pigeons would soon be deployed to make cannabis deliveries throughout New York City.

Advertisements and social media posts from the marijuana retailer The Travel Agency have been promoting the launch of “Project Pigeon,” which the business said would involve a fleet of 20 birds trained to fly cannabis to adults in Manhattan and Brooklyn beginning next year.

In a press release last week, the company said it completed a successful test trial with pigeons adorned with mini-backpacks. The announcement said the birds would be able to carry up to one gram of marijuana per delivery.

“As The Travel Agency, it’s only natural we’d explore all modalities of travel for our delivery service, even pigeons,” Arana Hankin-Biggers, co-founder of The Travel Agency, said. “And being in NYC, we thought there’s no better courier than the ever-present and beloved pigeon.”

Our new delivery is taking flight. Carrier pigeons coming 2026.

// 📸 documented by Everett Ravens (https://t.co/zia8yHwJuY) pic.twitter.com/JhrOkDKxmk

— The Travel Agency: A Cannabis Store (@travelagencyco) October 1, 2025

But while outlets from Fox 5 New York to Time Out ran with the story, the retailer has since confirmed that the pigeon program was simply a marketing stunt—and, evidently, a convincing one to some, as The New York Post first reported. A PR rep for The Travel Agency confirmed with Marijuana Moment on Wednesday that the pigeon campaign wasn’t real.

News about the made-up initiative even received pushback from certain animal rights activists such as Megan Walton from the Pigeons for Miles avian sanctuary. She said that, even though it ended up being a gimmick, “it’s still very upsetting to even conceptualize a campaign like this, centering on exploiting pigeons.”

The press release about the test trial last week said that the “Cannabis Carrier Pigeon Program is not about putting birds to work; it’s about reimagining delivery with a very New York sense of ingenuity.”

Project Pigeon (our experimental “pilot program”) was a blast. Starting this week, we’ll be sharing memories with our trainers + feathered friends. 🗣️ COOOO 🎬 Everett Ravens (https://t.co/zia8yHwJuY) pic.twitter.com/N4pym81lD5

— The Travel Agency: A Cannabis Store (@travelagencyco) October 3, 2025

“By enlisting the city’s most iconic residents as couriers, The Travel Agency has created what might be New York’s smartest delivery system yet—using what the city already has in abundance to outfly traffic, cut through congestion, and get orders where they need to go,” it said.

Part of the giveaway that the pigeon campaign was made up goes back to state and local laws on cannabis deliveries, which lay out specific safety and anti-diversion rules that licensed businesses must follow to make those deliveries. That includes ID verification upon receipt of cannabis products, which a pigeon ostensibly would not be capable of performing.

But in any case, the stunt is an example of the normalization of the adult-use marijuana market in New York, which has seen over $2 billion in cannabis sales since it launched. And $1 billion of those purchases have been made in 2025 alone, state officials recently touted.

2 pigeon trainers. 20 pigeons. Millions of NYC apartments. Project Pigeon 😉 🎬 Everett Ravens (https://t.co/zia8yHwJuY) pic.twitter.com/yN1Qw04gxp

— The Travel Agency: A Cannabis Store (@travelagencyco) October 7, 2025

Earlier this year, another cannabis marketing prank also pulled one over on many, with Drippy—which sells drinks with 10mg of THC and 10mg of CBN—convincing people its beverages would be made available to adults on certain domestic flights with Virgin Atlantic. And while the stunt proved effective, with certain media outlets reporting the partnership as fact, that didn’t end up being the case.

Virgin Atlantic didn’t appear to have any hard feelings after the company made false and satirical claims about a deal to sell its THC-infused beverages on flights—but the airline said it had to draw a line when it came to an AI-generated video and fake letter from its CEO about the supposed partnership.

Meanwhile, back in New York, given confusion within the marketplace about timelines for provisional marijuana business licenses, the Cannabis Control Board (CCB) recently said it will be extending the renewal deadline for conditional adult-use until December 31, 2026.

Part of the uncertainty surrounding provisional licensees concerns a recently identified zoning issue impacting more than 100 cannabis businesses that are apparently located too close to public schools or places of worship than is allowed under current statute. Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) has said that she will be pushing the legislature to amend the state’s marijuana law to address the issue.

Meanwhile, both chambers of the New York legislature recently passed legislation that would extend the deadline for some marijuana businesses to file electronic tax returns, sending the proposal next to the governor’s desk.

If signed into law, the measure would give cannabis manufacturers and distributors 30 extra days to submit their tax returns following the end of each quarterly tax period. Currently the companies have a 20-day window to file the documents, which the legislation would extended to 50 days.

Sponsors of the bill have noted that Hochul vetoed an earlier cannabis business tax reform proposal late last year, claiming it would “pose significant operational challenges for the State and confusion for taxpayers,” but that they’ve worked to address those concerns in the current version.

The earlier, vetoed measure would have allowed marijuana growers and processors to pay excise taxes on an annual basis rather than quarterly—a change that would have extended the same treatment to cannabis as the state already offers the alcohol industry.

In July, meanwhile, New York officials announced the first round of grants under a $5 million program to help retail marijuana businesses owned by justice-involved people cover startup costs.

About three months after opening up applications for the Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary (CAURD) Grant Program, The Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) and Empire State Development (ESD) have announced that they have awarded 52 licensed dispensaries up to $30,000 each in funds meant for startup and operational costs such as rent, renovations, inventory tracking and security systems.

To qualify for the program, applicants need to have been “justice involved”—in other words, impacted by a marijuana-related conviction—and have some experience running a profitable business.

Separately, OCM recently launched an online map that’s meant to help adults locate licensed marijuana retailers—one of their latest efforts to encourage consumers to buy their cannabis from the regulated market.

After a rocky rollout of the state’s legalization law opened the door to a proliferation of illicit marijuana shops, the governor and regulators have prioritized educating the public about the need to purchase their products from licensed dispensaries as a health and safety imperative.

The broader New York campaign has also involved digital ads and educational resources, including a guide on safe consumption practices, as well as graphics and videos featuring licensed cannabis business owners and messaging about the benefits of participating in the regulated market.

OCM also advises that “continued enforcement against the illicit market is critical to building a health regulated market,” pointing to what it describes as successful enforcement efforts in 2024. Last spring, for example, officials in New York City launched Operation Padlock, an enforcement initiative meant to shutter illegal storefronts. Within months, licensed shops that were open before the operation began saw sales climb 105 percent, according to an OCM survey.

Regulators are also moving forward with new proposed regulations around the state’s so-called “cannabis showcase” program, which allows licensed businesses to sell to consumers at pop-up, farmers market-like events.

As originally authorized, the showcase events were largely in response to the slow rollout of New York’s adult-use marijuana program, which faced multiple delays in implementation amid litigation and other matters.

Separately Hochul signed state budget legislation that did not include a controversial earlier provision that would have allowed police to use the smell of marijuana as probable cause that a driver is impaired and then force them to take a drug test.

Amendments made in the legislature removed the provision, which a coalition of 60 reform groups had argued in a letter to Hochul and top lawmakers would “repeat some of the worst harms of the War on Drugs” and allow law enforcement to “restart unconstitutional racial profiling of drivers.”

In April, New York cannabis regulators and labor officials announced the launch of a workforce training program aimed at “providing comprehensive safety education to workers” in the state’s legal marijuana industry.

Separately, OCM’s press secretary indicated the office is working on plans to expand permitting and licensing rules that could allow adults to buy and consume marijuana at movie theaters. Authorizing sales of cannabis products at theaters would set New York apart as it continues to build upon the state’s legalization law.

Earlier this year, a collective of businesses licensed under the CAURD program called on Hochul to forgive tens of millions of dollars in high-cost loans issued under a governor-created social equity loan fund.

A state lawmaker said in December that there’s a need to extend financial aid to CAURD license holders, many of whom are struggling under the high-cost loans.

Critics—including the NAACP New York State Conference, Black Cannabis Industry Association, Minority Cannabis Business Association, Service Disabled Veterans in Cannabis Association, Drug Policy Alliance, NYC NORML and VOCAL-NY—wrote to the governor earlier that month to express dismay at what they described as marijuana regulators’ “efforts in service of big corporations at the expense of small business and equity outcomes.”

Major Alcohol Industry Trade Association Welcomes Its First THC Cannabis Beverage Member

A leading alcohol industry group has added a company that makes THC-infused drinks to its membership roster for the first time.

Cannabuzz, a Kentucky-based manufacturer of hemp-derived THC beverages, is now an associate member of Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA), the company announced in a press release last week.

“We’re proud to be the first THC brand to join WSWA’s THC beverage category,” Annie Rouse, Cannabuzz CEO & Founder, said in a press release. “We look forward to collaborating with the organization and providing our industry expertise to help grow a safe and accessible market.”

Being a part of WSWA will give Cannabuzz “access to distributor expertise, best-practice frameworks and policy engagement as the cannabis category matures,” the company said.

“Our goal isn’t just to sell drinks—it’s to help retailers, distributors, and regulators align on simple guardrails that protect consumers and give stores confidence to stock the category,” Rouse said. “We believe standardized labeling, potency appropriate serving sizes and clear age-gating will define the next chapter of adult cannabis beverages. We’re excited to join beverage-alcohol’s leading trade group to help build these responsible standards for hemp-derived THC [ready-to-drink beverages].”

WSWA staff did not respond to Marijuana Moment’s request for comment for this story, though the organization’s website confirms Cannabuzz is now an associate member of the organization.

The association in June called on Congress to dial back language in a House spending bill that would ban most consumable hemp products, instead proposing to maintain the legalization of naturally derived cannabinoids from the crop and only prohibit synthetic items.

Members of WSWA also met with lawmakers and staffers in April to advocate for three key policy priorities that the group says is based on “sound principles of alcohol distribution.” They include banning synthetic THC, setting up a federal system for testing and labeling products and establishing state-level power to regulate retail sales.

In an op-ed for Marijuana Moment in June, WSWA President and CEO Francis Creighton said echoed that point, reiterating the organization’s position that regulation is superior to prohibition.

This is also consistent with WSWA’s earlier message to House and Senate Agriculture Committee last session, where the association implored congressional leaders to create a regulatory framework for hemp-based intoxicating cannabinoids—rather than impose an outright ban.

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Meanwhile, bipartisan House lawmakers recently pushed back against attempts to ban hemp THC products, arguing that it would “deal a fatal blow” to the industry and, as currently included in a spending bill, violates congressional rules. To that end, the members say there are plans in the works to introduce an alternative measure to regulate the market.

While the Senate ultimately stripped similar language from its version of the agriculture spending measure following a procedural protest from Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), there’s still concern among stakeholders that it could wind up in the final package delivered to the president following bicameral negotiations.

Dozens of hemp farmers from Kentucky also recently urged their state’s senior U.S. senator, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), to back off from his push to recriminalize some products that are derived from their crops.

Paul, for his part, recently cautioned that the cannabis policy movement has “swung hard on the prohibitionist side” amid the ongoing debate over intoxicating hemp products. And he worries that, if things go awry, the hemp market could be decimated “within the next two weeks.”

Asked about recent conversations with McConnell and Rep. Andy Harris (R-KY), Paul said “we’ve been working diligently” with the staff “trying to reach a compromise.”

What Cannabis Companies Need To Know About Work-Related Asthma (Op-Ed)

“The cannabis industry’s unique exposures and the documented health concerns are likely to accelerate regulatory action and litigation risk.”

By Erin Bass, Amy Rubenstein and Julie Vanneman, Dentons

The legal cannabis industry employs more than 440,000 full-time workers across the United States (not including hemp industry employees). As legalization spreads, so do regulatory and workplace safety challenges.

A recent multi-state study led by public health agencies in California, Massachusetts, Michigan and Washington, and supported by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), provides the most comprehensive look yet at work-related asthma in the cannabis sector.

The findings highlight evolving health concerns, and that cannabis operators should review their safety and compliance measures.

What the Data Show: Exposures and Evolving Health Concerns

From the time of legalization in each state through 2023, 30 confirmed cases of work-related asthma were identified among cannabis industry workers. Most cases involved young (ages 18-34), male workers, in indoor cultivation or processing roles. Notably, two fatalities were directly linked to occupational asthma in cannabis facilities.

The most frequently reported exposures were:

• Cannabis plant dust and marijuana plant material (by far the majority of reported cases);

• Mold and other microorganisms;

• Cleaning and disinfecting products (notably those containing hydrogen peroxide, peracetic acid or bleach); and

• Physical factors (humidity, heat, cold).

Most cases occurred within the first three years of employment, and half developed symptoms within the first year. In all cases, there was a relationship between symptoms and work, where symptoms increased with workplace exposure and decreased without it.

Regulatory and Legal Implications: OSHA, Workers’ Compensation and Beyond

The study’s findings have immediate compliance implications for cannabis operators.

First, rising case numbers could drive increased Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and state-level attention. While cannabis operators are familiar with oversight from state cannabis compliance agencies, it is crucial for them to recognize that they also face regulatory scrutiny from occupational safety and health agencies.

The new report emphasizes the importance of acknowledging the well-known hierarchy of occupational safety and health controls and implementing appropriate responses in the cannabis context.

• The most effective control is elimination. While it is impossible to eliminate any hazards from cannabis itself, it is possible to eliminate certain other hazards, such as exposure to particularly concerning disinfectants, and to minimize exposure to mold. Further, a job hazard analysis could identify processes that generate high levels of dust and prioritize interventions accordingly.

• The next step in the hierarchy of controls is engineering controls, including steps such as installing local exhaust ventilation and HEPA filtration.

• Administrative controls are next. In this context, procedures could be adjusted to limit personnel access to high-dust areas and provide education on the potential hazards of cannabis dust.

• Finally, personal protective equipment (PPE) could be deployed. Initiatives to require respirators could be considered during or after the implementation of engineering controls.

Further, medical surveillance programs could identify symptoms early and provide for job reassignment or medical removal as needed. Regulators are expected to scrutinize respiratory hazard controls, training and medical surveillance programs in light of the findings.

Second, workers’ compensation programs could be impacted. Only about half of affected workers filed claims, and half of those were denied—often due to insufficient clinical documentation or under-recognition of the cannabis industry’s particular hazards. Employers should anticipate more claims and potential litigation as awareness grows.

Third, employers must consider their obligations to provide reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and state law analogs. A cannabis allergy may qualify as a “disability” under the ADA. Thus, if an employee presents with a cannabis allergy that impacts her ability to perform her job, an employer has a duty to engage in the interactive process with the employee to determine if there are reasonable accommodations that would enable the employee to perform the essential functions of her job. Potential accommodations could include providing the employee with PPE or transferring the employee to another position.

These inter-related issues may appear all at once for a cannabis employer. For example, an employee with concerns about work-related asthma could file a workers’ compensation claim, seek an accommodation in the workplace and submit a complaint to OSHA. Even if the employer promptly offered a reasonable accommodation that was acceptable to the employee, such as transfer to a different position, OSHA could still decide to investigate. A citation resulting from the investigation could include a call for abatement measures that involve workplace changes beyond those already implemented in response to one employee’s complaint.

Practical Steps for Cannabis Operators

Effective compliance and risk mitigation strategies can prevent or help minimize employer liability and can positively impact employee health outcomes. Operators and associated parties should consider the following practical steps summarized below.

1. Conduct a Job Hazard Analysis: Identify high-risk tasks (e.g., grinding, trimming, cleaning) and prioritize controls.

2. Upgrade Ventilation and Dust Controls: Install local exhaust and HEPA filtration in processing areas.

3. Review and Substitute Cleaning Chemicals: Avoid asthma-sensitizing disinfectants where possible.

4. Implement Comprehensive Training: Educate workers on respiratory hazards, symptom recognition and reporting procedures.

5. Establish Medical Surveillance: Partner with occupational health providers to monitor for early signs of work-related asthma.

6. Document and Respond to Incidents: Maintain detailed records of exposures, symptoms and corrective actions.

Looking Ahead: Heightened Scrutiny and Evolving Standards

The cannabis industry’s unique exposures and the documented health concerns are likely to accelerate regulatory action and litigation risk.

Proactive compliance—mirroring best practices in other high-risk industries—will be essential to protect workers and limit liability. Early recognition and intervention, robust hazard controls and a strong safety culture are critical to preventing work-related asthma and ensuring the long-term health and productivity of the cannabis workforce. As with many other emerging regulatory issues these bellwether cases may predict a trend in occupational health.

Erin Bass is a partner in Dentons US LLP’s Employment and Labor practice. Amy Rubenstein is a partner in the Health Care practice. Julie Vanneman is a shareholder in Dentons Cohen & Grigsby’s Environmental practice.