How state lawmakers hope to kick-start growth with conditional cannabis licenses

As the state Office of Cannabis Management continues to gather licensing information, some lawmakers are hoping a new bill could revive hemp growers.

BUFFALO, NY — New York state lawmakers are trying to ensure cannabis retailers have products to sell once recreational marijuana businesses can open.

As the State Office of Cannabis Management continues to gather licensing information, a group of State Assembly and Senate lawmakers have proposed a new bill that could revive hemp growers. .

Both Assembly Bill A2682A and Senate Bill S8084A propose the use of “conditional licenses for adult use growers” ​​that would give cannabis-adjacent growers the ability to plant and process marijuana for recreational use.

“It provides a conditional license to ensure, when the license is in place, that equity firms will have a product to put on their shelves,” Assembly Speaker Crystal Peoples-Stokes said.

Peoples-Stokes is a sponsor of Assembly Bills.

The legislation would require applicants to already have a valid industrial hemp grower license from the Department of Agriculture and Markets, as of December 31, 2021, and be licensed to grow cannabinoid hemp.

The applicant should also be in “good standing” with the state and have grown and harvested hemp for at least two of the last four years under this license and be able to provide proof.

Other requirements are listed in this bill:

“As we know the growing season is limited and we need to have seed in the ground by May, so I suspect this legislation will be passed well before May,” Peoples-Stokes added.

If the bill becomes law, these licenses will eventually expire and require producers to reapply and obtain a full license once they exist.

You can read the legislation below:


Comments are closed.