CORTLAND, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — New York State is now accepting applications from businesses seeking to operate as cannabinoid hemp processors, retailers, or distributors.
The State Department of Health has created a Cannabinoid Hemp Program for licensing cannabinoid hemp processors, distributors, and retailers. It also sets quality control standards that all cannabinoid hemp products must meet including manufacturing, packaging and labeling, and laboratory testing requirements.
Click here to learn more about the State’s hemp program, including how to apply for a license.
Main Street Farms and its hemp subsidiary Head & Heal, both in Cortland, helped the State craft the program and its regulations.
“People can actually manufacture products with CBD in it legally in New York,” says Main Street Farm and Head & Heal owner Allan Gandelman.
Gandelman is also president of the New York Cannabis Growers and Processors Association. He says this program now gives growers and processors more of a market.
Hemp products include many CBD products currently available for purchase, including tinctures, vaporizations, oils, topicals, pills, capsules, and food or beverages, most of which come from out of state.
“So, if you have a let’s say a small brewery where you make drinks, you could now get licensed to make CBD drink. Or if you have a company in New York that manufactures chocolate or honey, you’re now legally allowed to apply for this license and put New York grown hemp and CBD into your existing products,” Gandelman tells NewsChannel 9.
He says eventually textiles made from hemp can become as big an industry in New York State as corn or soy are now.
Another important piece Gandelman says of the structure created for the hemp industry is the groundwork it lays for an adult use marijuana program if that gets approved in the State.
“They know what they’re doing. They’re used to the strict requirements of packaging, labeling, testing, and we can get our adult use legal program up and running very quickly,” he says.
Right now, Gandelman says the focus is hemp, which is officially up and running.
“That just means more companies can get in, they can expand their businesses. They can hire, you know, invest in infrastructure. So, this is all moving in the right direction.” he tells NewsChannel 9.
