The approved licenses are from a pool of more than 150 that have been submitted to the Office of Cannabis Management following the March 15 opening of the online application portal.
The approval of the first 52 provisional cultivation licenses will help create a responsible start to the NYS cannabis industry by granting cultivators the ability to produce enough product and inventory for social equity retail dispensaries to meet the initial demand of the anticipated legal market.
Liz Krueger said, “The approval of these licenses will help ensure an adequate supply of cannabis when the first round of social and economic equity adult-use retail stores open later this year.
We’ve been working hard to establish this industry, and now, New York farmers will be able to plant seeds in our fertile ground, so dispensaries owned by justice-involved New Yorkers with business experience will be able to sell these products in stores by the end of the year.
First, they must have a cannabis-related conviction that occurred prior to the passage of the Marijuana Regulation and Tax Act on March 31, 2021, or had a parent, guardian, child, spouse or dependent with a pre-MRTA cannabis-related conviction in the state of New York.
At Thursday’s meeting, the Cannabis Control Board also directed the OCM to file updated regulations for medical home cultivation for a 45-day public comment period, which would start May 4, the first opportunity for it to appear in the state register.
The OCM received more than 160 comments from a wide range of stakeholders, including addiction prevention and awareness coalitions, small farmers, industry associations and clinical associations.
√ Providing a framework for the sale of medical cannabis seeds or immature plants for home cultivation by entities licensed or registered with the office.