New York Loosens Strict Testing Requirements for Cannabis Cultivators

New York regulators this week lifted stringent requirements that cannabis growers in the state decried as an “existential threat” to their businesses.

new york cannabis insider report The state’s cannabis agency sent an email to growers on Tuesday, saying it had “updated the laboratory test restrictions document to pass in relation to total viable aerobic bacterial counts and total yeast and mold counts in unextracted cannabis.” /Removed the fail limit.” Products (e.g. cannabis flowers, pre-rolls, etc.)”

Cannabis growers in New York lamented that restrictions on testing for bacteria, yeast and mold were too onerous and jeopardized their ability to get their product in front of their customers.

The state granted growers conditional licenses earlier this year to begin growing the first adult-use cannabis crops outdoors.

However, growing outdoors made it difficult to achieve these test limits.

“This is a step in the right direction for the success of this new market,” said Aaron Leentjes, conditional grower and co-founder and owner of UNIFI Cannabis. increase. As quoted by new york cannabis insider“Producers have not been given the option of growing indoors, so it is great to see OCM adjusting their testing guidelines to the realities of outdoor growing.”

In an email sent Tuesday, the Cannabis Administration said that while testing will continue, “there are no defined limits for unextracted cannabis products in adult-use programs.”

“It is the licensee’s responsibility to consider these results and their impact on product stability and shelf life, as well as risks to consumer health,” OCM said in an email. As quoted by new york cannabis insider.

Recipients of the first two-year “conditional cultivator” license were allowed to grow an acre’s worth of weeds outdoors, but were also allowed to keep some plants in greenhouses.

“There are markets that we are building for small players, big players, mid-sized players, family businesses, and large corporations,” said Chris Alexander, Executive Director of the Cannabis Control Authority, who will be launching this first. A round of summer cultivation. “I think it will be enough to provide the initial supply to the pharmacy locations that we set up and operate.”

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who is facing re-election next week, said last month that the first state-regulated marijuana dispensary is expected to open by the end of the year.

“By the end of this year, we will have the first 20 clinics open,” Hochul said at the time. “And every month or so, and he 20 more times. It works and it will be successful.”

In that same interview, Hochul took credit for launching and running a legal marijuana program after taking over from former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo last August.

“Talk about stuffed rollouts,” she said. “When I became governor, nothing happened. “So within a week, I was given a lot of credit because I nominated people. When you talk to people about, the first thing they say is “thank you”. So we are moving forward rapidly. ”