Recreational marijuana is legal in New York, but the market and rules are still taking shape. New regulations for CBD and hemp have rolled out that could impact the state’s upcoming Adult Use Marijuana Program.
ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Recreational marijuana is legal in New York, but the market and rules are still taking shape. New regulations for CBD and hemp have rolled out that could impact the state’s upcoming Adult Use Marijuana Program.
“Cannabis is going to be regulated like a dietary supplement in New York State,” explained Eddie Brennan, President of Beak and Skiff, and Onondaga County orchard that produces hemp and has a line of CBD products.
Brennan welcomes these stringent regulations under New York's Cannabinoid Hemp Program.
“We think it’s a great thing, because ultimately, the product the customer will be getting will be safe, the efficacy will be there, and they’ll know what’s on the package is really what’s in the ingredients," Brennan said, while also recognizing it as a barrier to entry in the market for other manufacturers and distributors who may not have facilities that can make the products at such high standards.
A hot topic in the hemp market is regulating Delta-8 THC products, which are not naturally derived from cannabis. Delta-8 THC is like a chemical cousin to marijuana. The popular product for CBD shops has been prohibited under the new regulations for the Cannabinoid Hemp Program.
In its press release about the new regulations, The Office of Cannabis Management said Delta-8 will be better left for regulation in the state’s Adult Use Program.
“Really from the state perspective, they’re not going to allow for the sale of such products in the Cannabinoid Hemp Program if they’re setting up an entire regulatory structure around selling adult use cannabis," said Kaelan Castetter, Vice President of the New York Cannabis Growers and Processors Association,
According to Castetter, while these regulations for CBD and hemp are finally rolling out, the adult use program likely won’t be handing out licenses until at least the end of next year.
"The question really begs, what happens in between? Because New Yorkers aren’t really going to stop consuming cannabis and wait. So I think there should be an added level of urgency on the state regulator perspective to get this pathway open and get licenses out the door,” Castetter said.
