New York Senator’s Bill Would Let Farmers Get A Head Start On Growing Marijuana

A New York senator recently filed a bill to create a provisional marijuana licensing category so that farmers could begin cultivating and selling cannabis ahead of the formal rollout of the adult-use program.

Sen. Jeremy Cooney (D) introduced the legislation, which would establish the temporary license, with the intent being to let farmers start producing cannabis in time for the next growing season. This would be a stepping stone toward righting the wrongs of the racially discriminatory drug war while regulators work to stand up the new market, the senator, who serves as co-chair of the Black Puerto Rican Hispanic and Asian (BPHA) Legislative Caucus’ Marijuana Task Force, said.

“This legislation enables New York cannabis farmers to put seeds in the ground, so that the economic benefits of legalizing marijuana are not delayed for another growing season,” Cooney said. “We passed adult-use recreational marijuana with the promise of investing in communities most negatively impacted by the failed War on Drugs. This bill allows us to start fulfilling that promise by creating a supply chain of products for retailers in this new economy.”