CORTLAND, N.Y. (NCC NEWS) — CBD, or cannabidiol, accounts for about 40% of the cannabis plant. Unlike marijuana’s active ingredient, THC, it doesn’t give you that same feeling of being high. Instead, it’s been used for decades to treat anxiety, stress, pain, paranoia, and mental disorders.
The variant of marijuana has been under tight restriction in New York State, unlike many other states – despite the legality of its THC counterpart.
On February 15th, the New York State government announced that the New York State Department of Health is now accepting applications from businesses seeking to operate as hemp processors, retailers, or distributors.
“It connects the idea of the farm to table movement – that it can be the same movement for the craft cannabis people selling to the smaller dispensaries from all over New York State. We want to model our adult-use program around our own farm-to-table movement here in New York,” said Allan Gandelman, the President of New York Hemp Oil and the Owner of Main St. Farms.
Main St. Farms was one of the only licensed hemp research facilities in New York State prior to the new legislation. It was forced to specialize its’ products into non-edible and non-smokable cannabis or be forced to export those goods out-of-state. Those products included topicals and tinctures, but smokeable flowers, vaporizers, and edibles have remained illegal to produce.
Now, those facilities and others can begin to produce New York State grown cannabis, for New York State consumers.
“Working locally and in the community is something we pride ourselves in,” said Gandelman.
It’s not just the growers of hemp that have suffered from this state restriction. Distributors and retailers alike have been forced to import their products from states like Colorado, where both recreational marijuana and CBD are legally sold.
“It couldn’t be more important … this growth for New York State. When you shop here, you aren’t getting New York products, but now you can,” said Jim Charon, the owner, and operator of Syracuse Hemporium, a retailer that specializes specifically in CBD products.
Both sellers and growers believe that this is the first step in a larger battle – the legalization of recreational marijuana. Governor Andrew Cuomo said that they are exactly right.
“Legalization of recreational marijuana is something we have been trying to do for several years, and it’s long overdue,” said the governor in the presser event on the day of the CBD announcement.
In addition to his CBD licensing law, Cuomo has also dispatched an amended bill to the New York State legislature, which outlines guidelines for a budget shift in which marijuana becomes recreationally legal. The deadline for that bill is just under a month away – April 1st.
“If this (legalization of marijuana) doesn’t get done by April 1st, I fear it will never get done,” said Cuomo.
Despite the tight deadline, members of the cannabis community are staying optimistic.
“Nothing is a definite in Albany, but I think there is a better than 90% chance that we have adult-use cannabis programs in New York soon,” said Gandelman.
