New York regulators last week approved another 58 conditional cannabis cultivation licenses, bringing the total to 146, Syracuse.com reports. The approvals come weeks after the state Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) approved 36 conditional licenses.
Chris Alexander, OCM executive director, told Syracuse.com that officials are “moving quickly, knowing that the growing season is short.”
Conditional licensees can grow outdoors or in a greenhouse with up to 20 artificial lights and will have to apply for full licenses by June 1 as the temporary licenses will expire on June 30, 2024.
No firm date has been announced for when legal sales will begin in New York but Cannabis Control Board Chair Tremaine Wright, the state’s top regulator, has indicated adult-use products could be available from conditional licenses in the fall while sales from general licensed businesses would not begin until the end of this year or early next year.
The conditional licenses are for farmers and businesses currently licensed to grow hemp. The bill creating the licenses was signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) in February.
Alexander said earlier this month that the agency has received more than 200 applications from hemp farmers to grow THC-rich cannabis. OCM officials are reviewing applications on an ongoing basis and are set to continue making recommendations for licensure under the Controlled Cultivator program.
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