NY Governor Approves Bill Creating Conditional Adult-Use Cannabis Cultivator License
February 22, 2022
Today, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed a bill that created a new type of cannabis license, the Conditional Adult-Use Cannabis Cultivator license, which certain existing New York hemp farmers will be able to apply for in order to grow during the 2022 season.
The Governor’s Office provided the following information regarding this new license type:
“With a conditional adult-use cannabis cultivation license, farmers can grow outdoors or in a greenhouse for up to two years from the issuance of the license. It also allows them to manufacture and distribute cannabis flower products without holding an adult-use processor or distributor license, until June 1, 2023. Cultivators are limited to one acre (43,560 square feet) of flowering canopy outdoors or 25,000 square feet in a greenhouse and can use up to 20 artificial lights. They can also split between outdoor and greenhouse grows with a maximum total canopy of 30,000 square feet as long as greenhouse flowering canopy remains under 20,000 square feet.
The OCM will be developing a license application process and opening the program as soon as possible. To qualify for an Adult-use Cannabis Conditional Cultivator License an applicant must have been an authorized industrial hemp research partner for the Department of Agriculture and Markets, cultivating hemp for its non-intoxicating cannabinoid content for at least two of the past four years and in good standing as of December 31, 2021, when the research program ended.
Holders of the license must also participate in a social equity mentorship program where they provide training in cannabis cultivation and processing for social and economic equity partners, preparing them for potential roles in the industry. Growers will also have to meet sustainability requirements to ensure the cannabis is grown in an environmentally conscientious way.”
More information about New York’s cannabis and hemp licensing programs is available on the Office of Cannabis Management‘s website. Additionally, stay tuned to our blog and New York page for further details regarding cannabis in the Empire State.
This information is provided as a public educational service and is not intended as legal advice. For specific questions about applying for a cannabis- or hemp-related license in New York, contact the Law Offices of Omar Figueroa to schedule a confidential consultation.
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