A federal appeals court made a ruling that now allows for the distribution of licenses for recreational marijuana dispensaries in some parts of the state.

The ruling allows licenses in Brooklyn, Central New York, some of the Hudson region and western New York. The decision comes two months after the opening of the first legal cannabis dispensary in the city.

When New York first offered the opportunity to open recreational marijuana dispensaries to people with marijuana convictions, the decision was met with a lawsuit filed by Variscite NY One, a company owned by a Michigan resident. A federal judge issued a temporary injunction against the distribution of those licenses in five regions, but this recent Court of Appeals decision changes that.

Gov. Kathy Hochul weighed in on the ruling saying in part, "New York's brand-new cannabis industry is making significant progress to promote social equity and right the wrongs of the past, creating the fairest and safest market in the nation. I am pleased that a federal appellate court has limited an injunction in favor of the State of New York. "I am pleased that a federal appellate court has limited an injunction in favor of the state of New York."

The ruling comes just ahead of the first woman-owned marijuana dispensary opening in Jamaica, Queens on Thursday.