In a bid to super charge the cannabis retail market, New York’s Office of Cannabis Management has announced the approval of cannabis farmers markets and has issued 212 new provisional retail licenses.
The approval of the farmers markets – The Cannabis Growers’ Showcase (CGS) initiative – is a first-in-the-nation initiative to allow licensed sales outside of dispensaries.
The CGS initiative – described as a “crucial next step in expanding the State’s cannabis market” – will enable cannabis cultivators to partner with conditional adult-use retailers and processors across New York to organise events to sell adult use products.
This will help farmers stuck with surplus stock to sell their crop faster, as well as enable customers to have legal access to cannabis in parts of the state that currently do not have dispensaries.
Damian Fagon, Chief Equity Officer of the New York State Office of Cannabis Management stated: “As a former New York hemp farmer, I know firsthand how devastating it can be when a hard fought harvest struggles to get to market.
“The Cannabis Growers Showcase was informed by those lived experiences, as well as by many difficult conversations with our growers and processors who justifiably wanted more avenues to share their products with New Yorkers.
“This initiative will not only increase sales and retail access throughout the state, but it will also connect New York consumers directly with local cannabis farmers and homegrown brands. But this isn’t just about helping farmers; it will also make tested cannabis more accessible to consumers across the state, bringing licensed cannabis sales to communities where a local dispensary has yet to open.”
