As New York’s regulators work on the rules that will guide the launch of the state’s adult-use cannabis industry sometime later in 2022, lawmakers are already introducing bills that could reshape it. Nearly a dozen bills introduced in May cover everything from underage use to a solution for consumers who can’t grow cannabis at home. There are some noteworthy broader bills, too, like one that would create the “adult-use substances authority,” which would oversee cannabis regulators and another that would bring oral fluid testing to New York’s roadways for testing related to cannabis impairment. This comes as the initial phase of adult-use sales is beginning to come into focus. At its May 5 meeting, the Cannabis Control Board, within the Office of Cannabis Management, awarded 36 conditional adult-use cultivator licenses, bringing its total to 88, as Cannabis Wire reported. These farmers will harvest the first crop of cannabis to be sold to New York’s adult-use consumers. First sales, Board Chair Tremaine Wright said during the meeting, are expected to take place “later this year.”
Alyson Martin, Cannabis Wire, 05/16/2022 20:00:00