The State Cannabis Control Board is exploring ways to help growers of cannabis to unload product.
The question was raised at the board’s monthly meeting on Thursday, June 15 about what was being done to help cultivators that have a glut of cannabis product and no one to sell it to.
According to news sources, licensed New York cannabis cultivators have planted and harvested millions of dollars worth of product in the last year, but haven’t been able to sell much of it due to there only being 13 legal stores open in the state.
Board Attorney Linda Baldwin said the board is looking at a number of issues from a legal point of view
Board members said they’re looking at options that mirror the microbusiness options where farmers could sell directly to consumers at market-type events versus making them go through the Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary (CAURD) license process.
One Cannabis Control Board member said the purpose of farmers markets is to allow farmers, or cultivators, to sell directly to consumers without another level of red tape that decreases profits.
When the question came up of how long it’ll take to get new guidelines in place, it was suggested that language would be sent to the board by the end of this week and that a special meeting could be scheduled to further address the issue.
The Board also approved its first recreational cannabis licenses for the Finger Lakes Region, which brings stores to every region of the state now.
A lawsuit filed by a Michigan company blocked the state from issuing licenses in the Rochester-Finger Lakes region until now. The New York State Office of Cannabis Management voted earlier this month to settle with the company, paving the way for licenses to be granted.
To date, the state has issued 251 adult-use retail licenses, however, only 14 recreational stores have opened for business, most of them in New York City.
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