The New York Senate and Assembly have passed a bill to encourage businesses to use hemp materials for packaging, construction, and other industrial purposes. After the final procedural steps, the measure will be on its way to the governor. The legislation amends state statute to stipulate that the Agriculture Commissioner would need to work with the Urban Development Corporation, hemp workgroup, and stakeholders who use (or “may potentially use”) hemp “to develop and promote the use of hemp by businesses for purposes such as packaging, construction, and other uses.” Sen. Michelle Hinchey (D), a consistent proponent of hemp as an environmentally sustainable alternative to other materials, introduced her bill on the matter before it was substituted for an identical Assembly-passed measure and then cleared the Senate on Tuesday in a unanimous 63-0 vote. The Assembly version, sponsored by Assemblymember Donna Lupardo (D), passed in that chamber by a vote of 133-5 back in February.
Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 05/18/2022 08:50:00