Cannabis farmers will now have a way to sell product directly to consumers in New York State.
The State Cannabis Control Board approved a Cannabis Grower Showcase Initiative at its monthly meeting that is meant to help growers sell product directly to consumers.
Office of Cannabis Management Director of Policy John Kagia said the initiative will help approved conditional cultivators and processers to sell cannabis they’ve grown and manufactured, as well as retailers to sell at non-storefront locations in New York State, “Cannabis Grow Showcases will occur at licensed locations as well as at approved events by the office. In order to organize this kind of Grow Showcase, you will require a minimum of three participating conditional cultivators, or AUCC, and you’ll require a Conditional Adult Use Dispensary license, via CAURD licensee, to facilitate the sales of cannabis at these events.”
Kagia said one conditional processor can sell products at the event as well.
He said the showcase events will require municipal approval before the event organizers receive approval from the Office of Cannabis Management. Kagia added that showcase events cannot occur in municipalities that opted out of retail cannabis sales.
Board Member Dr. Jennifer Gilbert-Jenkins expressed concern that the growers showcase that allow “value added products” could lead to a “slippery slope,” “It is incredibly important to me that these are not just pop-up dispensaries where the variety of products available is what you’re seeing there, because we want to directly help the growers as much as possible. And, therefore, I think there needs to be more tailoring to what is actually allowed there.”
Gilbert-Jenkins said the showcases need to be focused on the sale of cannabis flower, especially given that 50% of cannabis sales have been flower-based in the state.
The OCM will be holding town halls for licensees to better explain the scope of the program
The Cannabis Association of New York released a statement stating they were happy to see the approval of the Grower’s Showcase by the board, “This is an initiative we have supported with thoughtful and evidence-based recommendations to the Office of Cannabis Management. But now, as with any new program, the devil is in the details. We await the details of the Grower’s Showcase and look to see how the OCM will put this into practice.”
The Cannabis Control Board also approved 212 Conditional Adult Use Retail Dispensary licenses, which brings the statewide total to 463 licenses. There were nine approved for the Western New York region at Wednesday’s meeting.
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