To David R. Clifford of Auburn, it just makes sense: If marijuana becomes legal for adult recreational use in New York, he says, consumers should be able to grow their own.
“I can grow my own tomatoes or herbs," he said. “If I’m a beer drinker, I can grow my own hops and make some home brew. So why not let me grow my own cannabis?”
It may not happen. While New York lawmakers are considering legalizing marijuana for recreational use, the proposal offered by Gov. Andrew Cuomo earlier this year does not allow growing at home for non-medical use. Recreational users would have to buy their weed from a state-licensed retail outlet.
Cuomo’s plan does call for a limited amount of home-grown cannabis plants, but only for those who have a diagnosis allowing them to use marijuana for medical purposes. The state’s three-year-old medical marijuana program has until now not allowed home-grown cannabis.
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The major companies that have
The major companies that have a stake in the state’s current medical marijuana program, not surprisingly, are opposed to allowing home-grown weed. The New York Medical Cannabis Industry Association, whose members are the companies licensed to produce and sell medical marijuana, sent a memo to Cuomo urging him to reject home-grown.
The memo suggested home-grown would “make it impossible for the state to eliminate the black market,” “make it impossible for law enforcement to distinguish between legal and illegal products,” “undermine the state’s ... goal of ensuring that cannabis sold in New York State is grown without noxious pesticides or other contaminants," and “undermine the state’s public health interest in ensuring that cannabis sold in New York State is tested, packaged, and and labeled correctly.” The group also warned that home growing would "cost the state tax revenue."
NYMCIA member companies include Columbia Care, Etain, The Botanist and Acreage NY, Vireo Health and MedMen (which has acquired a former member, PharmaCann). These companies presumably would be among those vying to produce and supply cannabis for recreational use in New York.