New York regulators announced several developments this week in the state’s medical and adult-use cannabis markets, as well as its cannabinoid hemp program.
The Cannabis Control Board (CCB) adopted regulations Sept. 20 to allow medical cannabis patients to grow up to six plants at home, and for caregivers to grow up to 12 plants to serve up to four patients, according to a Syracuse.com report.
The new rules also prohibit landlords from refusing to lease to medical cannabis patients and penalizing them for growing their own plants, the news outlet reported.
The final home grow regulations were revised based on feedback received during a public comment period, according to Syracuse.com, although some voiced concerns that the rules adopted Tuesday lay out plant count limits that are too small, and that they do not address Section 8 residents, who still cannot cultivate cannabis at home due to federal restrictions.
Also at Tuesday’s meeting, the CCB approved conditional adult-use licenses for 19 cultivators and 10 processors; the board has now issued 261 total conditional cultivator licenses and 25 total conditional processor licenses, Syracuse.com reported.
In addition, regulators approved amendments to New York’s hemp program that allow licensed hemp farmers to sell their flower through a new license type, according to the news outlet.
Another rule change raises the maximum cannabinoid allowance per serving in the hemp program from 75 milligrams to 100 milligrams, Syracuse.com reported.
Finally, the CCB voted unanimously Tuesday to appoint Patricia Heer as first deputy general counsel to the New York Office of Cannabis Management (OCM). The position has been vacant since Rick Zahnleuter left the role in July.
Heer has previously served as the OCM’s deputy general counsel, and prior to that, she founded a legal digest focused on court decisions related to cannabis, as well as held a position at New York’s Department of Taxation and Finance, Syracuse.com reported.
