New York cannabis regulators on Monday approved the first 15 conditional processor licenses for companies to design, manufacture, and package cannabis products.
Like the first round of cultivation licenses, the conditional licenses were given to companies that already hold hemp processing licenses. The processor-licensees also must participate in a mentorship program designed to provide pathways to the industry and entrepreneurship opportunities for social equity applicants and participate in an environmental sustainability program.
State regulators also approved interim regulations for cannabis processors after proposing the regulations for product packaging, labeling, marketing, advertising, and laboratory testing in June.
In a statement, Tremaine Wright, chair of the Cannabis Control Board said the regulation and license approvals bring the state “one step closer” to launching adult-use sales.
“Processors aren’t just an important part of the cannabis supply chain, they are creators, who take a raw plant and transform into tested, consistent, high-quality products that consumers can trust. When we open New York’s first stores, owned and operated by New Yorkers harmed by the misguided criminalization of cannabis, the shelves will be lined with infused edibles, topical creams and concentrated oils. None of those products would be possible without these first processors launching New York’s cannabis industry.” — Wright in a press release
The agency Monday also approved the opening of the application window for cannabis testing labs. Applicants need to prove documentation of ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation, proficiency testing for certain analytes, meet specific personnel requirements, and pay a non-refundable $1,000 application fee.
Additionally, the state approved another 19 conditional cultivator licenses, bringing the total to 242.
Jason Ambrosino, the founder of the Veterans Hemp Market, a New York-based group currently providing hemp flower products for military veterans, said in an email the group was “very excited and anxious to get to work.”
“NYS is one step closer to having a functional recreational cannabis industry, now all we need is a place to sell it,” he wrote.
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