New York regulators on Thursday voted to grant conditional marijuana cultivation licenses to a number of hemp businesses as one of the first steps toward ensuring an adequate supply of cannabis when the state’s adult-use market launches later this year. And separately, the Cannabis Control Board (CCB) approved revised regulations to allow medical marijuana patients to grow their own plants for personal use following a public comment period on initial rules that were proposed last year. It’s been about a year since an adult-use legalization bill was enacted into law, and regulators have spent months preparing for implementation. At CCB’s meeting on Thursday, members approved 52 conditional cultivation licenses. More than 150 applications had been submitted, and the remaining applicants will continue to be reviewed on a rolling basis. Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) signed a bill from Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes (D) and Sen. Michelle Hinchey (D) to create conditional licenses in February. The intent is to allow existing hemp operators to get a head start on growing marijuana to meet the demand for the forthcoming industry.
Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 04/14/2022 13:22:00