As New York considers legalizing marijuana for adult, recreational use, medical cannabis companies are urging the state Legislature to hand them a stake in the new market, saying the burgeoning industry will lag without their help.
Rather than wait for new cannabis cultivators to build from the ground up, medical cannabis companies say they could use their existing infrastructure to give the new market a boost.
Two reports commissioned by the New York Medical Cannabis Industry Association argue that allowing medical cannabis companies into the recreational market in New York as soon as possible could give the industry a boost, and jumpstart new job opportunities.
“By utilizing the knowledge and infrastructure of the existing providers, New York can bring much-needed economic growth to the state at a critical time in its recovery while also cementing its reputation as a progressive leader,” said Ngiste Abebe, the group’s president and the vice president of public policy at Columbia Care, a medical marijuana company.
Democrats in New York are currently in the midst of negotiating a system for regulating and taxing the production and sale of marijuana for adult, recreational use.
After failing to strike a deal on the issue in the last few years, Democrats involved in negotiations on the issue have been confident in recent months that they can come to an agreement for full legalization by the end of March.
While lawmakers were previously expected to include a deal on…
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As New York considers legalizing marijuana for adult, recreational use, medical cannabis companies are urging the state Legislature to hand them a stake in the new market, saying the burgeoning industry will lag without their help.
Rather than wait for new cannabis cultivators to build from the ground up, medical cannabis companies say they could use their existing infrastructure to give the new market a boost.
Two reports commissioned by the New York Medical Cannabis Industry Association argue that allowing medical cannabis companies into the recreational market in New York as soon as possible could give the industry a boost, and jumpstart new job opportunities.
“By utilizing the knowledge and infrastructure of the existing providers, New York can bring much-needed economic growth to the state at a critical time in its recovery while also cementing its reputation as a progressive leader,” said Ngiste Abebe, the group’s president and the vice president of public policy at Columbia Care, a medical marijuana company.
Democrats in New York are currently in the midst of negotiating a system for regulating and taxing the production and sale of marijuana for adult, recreational use.
After failing to strike a deal on the issue in the last few years, Democrats involved in negotiations on the issue have been confident in recent months that they can come to an agreement for full legalization by the end of March.
While lawmakers were previously expected to include a deal on…