Cannabis board rolls out home growing rules

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEXSTAR) — On June 10, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul appointed Felicia Reid as Acting Executive Director at the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM), temporarily filling the highest role in the agency. Hochul announced the ouster of its former executive director, Chris Alexander, after multiple lawsuits and criticism of a slow rollout of legal weed.

The Cannabis Control Board (CCB), a distinct body from the OCM, also took steps to finally approve rules for users to grow their own marijuana at home. These include:

• Sales of seeds and immature plants only by licensed retailers
• Growers and users must be over 21
• Individuals can have up to three immature plants and three mature plants
• Medicinal users can have a caregiver grow for them
• Blanket 12-plant-maximum (six immature and six mature) per household
• Home growers can keep up to five pounds of trimmed cannabis—or the equivalent weight in concentrates—at their residence
• Individuals can carry up to three ounces of cannabis and 24 grams of concentrate within New York
• Homegrown cannabis cannot be bought, sold, or traded
• Individuals can grow cannabis in a rental, including single rooms, apartments, houses, and mobile homes
• Landlords cannot refuse a lease or penalize a tenant unless they risk losing a federal benefits
• Growers must try to limit odors from bothering neighbors
• Growers must limit access or potential theft by blocking view of the crop
• Flammable materials cannot be used to make tinctures or butters

Hochul also announced a national search for the permanent Executive Director of OCM, which oversees licensing, compliance, and enforcement. “I’m committed to ensuring New York’s nation-leading cannabis market continues to thrive,” she said on Monday.

Implementing task force recommendations and appointing Reid as both Executive Deputy Director and Acting Executive Director represents a “sweeping overhaul” to the OCM. Hochul said the changes will end the bottleneck of license applicants, and, to that end, announced that 105 new business licenses for growers, distributors, and retailers on June 11.

CCB approved these licenses, not OCM. By the numbers, they are:

• 25 cultivator licenses
• 22 distributor licenses
• 22 microbusiness licenses
• 19 processor licenses
• 17 retail dispensary licenses 

The CCB also denied 100 applications on Tuesday. There were 132 weed dispensaries operating across the state as of Tuesday afternoon.