New York law will allow hemp growers to apply for license to grow pot – NBC New York

What there is to know

  • New York state hemp growers will be able to apply for a license to grow marijuana this year under legislation Governor Kathy Hochul signed on Tuesday.
  • The new law will allow hemp growers to apply for a conditional adult-use cannabis cultivator license in anticipation of the recreational marijuana market expected to open in New York City in the coming year.
  • Hochul, a Democrat, said in a press release that the bill would jump-start “the safe, fair and inclusive new industry we are building.”

New York state hemp growers will be able to apply for a license to grow marijuana this year under legislation Governor Kathy Hochul signed on Tuesday.

The new law will allow hemp growers to apply for a conditional adult-use cannabis cultivator license in anticipation of the recreational marijuana market expected to open in New York City in the coming year.

Hochul, a Democrat, said in a press release that the bill would jump-start “the safe, fair and inclusive new industry we are building.”

It’s been nearly a year since New York legalized the recreational use of marijuana for adults, but authorities are still working on regulating the legal cultivation and sale of cannabis. To date, New York’s only legal marijuana growers are 10 companies that supply medical weed to approximately 125,000 registered patients.

The legal recreational marijuana market in New York is expected to be one of the largest in the country once it is up and running.

The new law allowing hemp growers to apply for a marijuana license throws a welcome lifeline to hemp growers, who have seen prices fall across the country from a spike in 2019, shortly after Congress legalized the plant. Drivers of the price crash include oversupply and regulatory uncertainty surrounding CBD, a popular, non-intoxicating chemical derived from hemp.

“So the opportunity to grow another profitable crop is certainly a welcome thing,” said Jonathan Miller, general counsel for the US Hemp Roundtable, an industry group.

At the same time, the group is wary of the blurred lines between marijuana and hemp, which has won congressional approval as a substance that doesn’t get people high.

“This is a temporary, conditional program, and we want to see how things go, but we want to make sure that in the long run those boundaries stay separate,” Miller said.

Under the new law, cannabis producers with a conditional license must meet certain requirements, including sustainable farming practices and participation in a social equity mentorship program.

State Senator Liz Krueger, a Manhattan Democrat, called the legislation “an important step in ensuring an adequate supply of cannabis for the adult market while putting farmers in New York first, supporting mentoring for social and economic equity and encouraging environmentally sustainable farming practices.”

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