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The mayor of New York City acknowledges that his plan to put marijuana greenhouses on to rooftops of public housing buildings may hit a snag with the federal government, and so the administration intends to seek a \u201cwaiver\u201d to avoid a conflict.<\/p>\n
Mayor Eric Adams (D) first floated the idea of using NYC Housing Authority (NYCHA) facilities to grow cannabis as the state prepares to implement adult-use legalization at a conference event last weekend<\/a>.<\/p>\n He was asked about the proposal on Tuesday at a press briefing on climate-related issues, and he addressed the possible funding repercussions of authorizing cannabis gardens at buildings that receive substantial financing from the federal government, which continues to strictly prohibit marijuana.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have to get over the federal hurdle because, right now, the federal government does not recognize the legalization in the state,\u201d Adams said. \u201cI believe there\u2019s a great opportunity for cannabis to be grown on NYCHA rooftops, with an employment aspect of it and using the medical cannabis aspect of it.\u201d<\/p>\n That said, \u201cthere\u2019s many layers to getting it done,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to sit down with the federal government and federal agencies, [and] see if it\u2019s a possibility to get a waiver [and] how we can get it done.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe have to think differently about employment opportunities, and using our rooftops better. And so we\u2019re willing to try everything that\u2019s possible to get those goals in mind and aligned,\u201d he added. \u201cIf we can use it\u2014if the federal government cooperates with us and it allows us to use it\u2014we\u2019re straight ahead to make it happen.\u201d<\/p>\n While the feds have generally taken a hands-off approach to state and local marijuana policies\u2014and President Joe Biden has pledged not to interfere in those reforms\u2014it could be a different story if New York City started to use federally backed public housing property as a place to produce a Schedule I drug like marijuana without its consent.<\/p>\n According to NYCHA, the city agency \u201cgenerally\u00a0receives<\/a>\u00a0about $1 billion in operating subsidies annually from the federal government.\u201d Putting marijuana plants on the tops of those buildings while cannabis remains federally prohibited could potentially jeopardize those dollars.<\/p>\n The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) stands out as an especially anti-cannabis agency, too.<\/p>\n For example, the department said last year that it is\u00a0required to continue denying federally assisted housing<\/a>\u00a0to people who use marijuana, even if they\u2019re acting in compliance with state law.<\/p>\n Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) sent a letter to HUD Sec. Marcia Fudge last year imploring the department to use executive discretion and not punish people over cannabis in legal states. But HUD\u2019s response was clear: It said that \u201cconsistent with federal law, HUD prohibits the admission of users of marijuana to HUD assisted housing, including those who use medical marijuana.\u201d<\/p>\n A former Trump-appointed HUD official with the department\u2019s regional official overseeing New York and New Jersey did say in 2018 that she was working to\u00a0resolve conflicting federal and state marijuana laws<\/a>\u00a0as it applies to residency in federally-subsidized housing\u2014but nothing apparently came from that.<\/p>\n While HUD might not be willing to exercise discretion when it comes to federal marijuana prohibition, it should be noted that the Justice Department has so far declined to take enforcement action against New York City after it\u00a0authorized the launch of the nation\u2019s first safe consumption sites<\/a>\u00a0where people can use currently illicit drugs in a medically supervised environment and receive treatment resources.<\/p>\n That\u2019s in spite of the fact that DOJ under the Trump administration filed a lawsuit blocking a Philadelphia non-profit from opening such a facility based on an interpretation of federal statute prohibiting such services. That case is ongoing.<\/p>\n In any case, Adams\u2019s interest in exploring putting cannabis greenhouses on NYCHA rooftops comes as regulators and lawmakers continue to work toward implementing the state\u2019s adult-use market.<\/p>\n Most recently, the legislature sent a budget proposal to the governor\u2019s desk over the weekend that includes provisions to\u00a0let marijuana businesses take state tax deductions<\/a>\u00a0that are available to other industries despite an ongoing federal ban on cannabis.<\/p>\n \u2014 Regulators separately advanced a rule last month to make it so people with prior marijuana convictions, or whose family members have been harmed by criminalization, will get the\u00a0first round of adult-use marijuana retailer licenses<\/a>\u2014ahead of existing medical cannabis businesses. A recent poll found that\u00a0most New Yorkers voters are against that proposal<\/a>.<\/p>\n The state has also taken separate steps to get the industry in a position to have products available by creating provisional marijuana cultivator and processor licenses for existing hemp businesses that take certain steps to promote equity in the emerging industry.\u00a0Gov. Kathy Hochul (D)\u00a0signed that legislation in February<\/a>.<\/p>\n Last week, New York regulators approved 52 such conditional marijuana cultivation licenses<\/a> as one of the first steps toward ensuring an adequate supply of cannabis when the state\u2019s adult-use market launches.<\/p>\n As it stands, adults 21 and older can\u00a0possess and publicly consume cannabis<\/a>, as well as gift marijuana to other adults as long as they aren\u2019t being compensated. But regulators are still finalizing licensing rules, and there are currently no retailers that are authorized to sell cannabis for adult use in the state.<\/p>\n Hochul has repeatedly emphasized her interest in\u00a0efficiently implementing the legalization law<\/a>.<\/p>\n The governor released a State of the State book in January that called for\u00a0the creation of a $200 million public-private fund<\/a>\u00a0to specifically help promote social equity in the state\u2019s burgeoning marijuana market. That funding, called the \u201cNew York Social Equity Cannabis Investment Program,\u201d is the last component of the Seeding Opportunity Initiative.<\/p>\n Hochul said that while cannabis business licenses have yet to be approved since legalization was signed into law last year, the market stands to generate billions of dollars, and it\u2019s important to \u201ccreate opportunities for all New Yorkers, particularly those from historically marginalized communities.\u201d<\/p>\n That proposal was\u00a0also cited in the governor\u2019s executive budget<\/a>, which was released in January. The budget also estimated that New York stands to generate more than $1.25 billion in marijuana tax revenue over the next six years.<\/p>\n Enacting legislation that expedites licensing could help the state reduce the number of businesses that are effectively using the legal \u201cgifting\u201d provision of the state\u2019s marijuana law to give away cannabis for \u201cfree\u201d if a non-marijuana-related purchase is made.<\/p>\n New York regulators recently\u00a0issued warnings to more than two dozen businesses<\/a>\u00a0that they allege are either illegally selling marijuana without a license or exploiting the \u201cgifting\u201d component.<\/p>\n Here are some other ways that New York lawmakers and regulators are working to build upon the legalization law as the state prepares to implement retail sales:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n A New York senator recently filed a bill that would allow regulators to disclose certain information about cannabis licensees to financial institutions\u2014a step meant to provide banks with additional transparency that could encourage marijuana banking<\/a>.<\/p>\n In February, another state senator filed a bill that would\u00a0promote recycling in the marijuana industry<\/a>\u00a0once retail sales officially launch.<\/p>\n Sen. Michelle Hinchey (D) is also sponsoring that legislation, which would require cannabis shops to apply a $1 deposit for any marijuana products sold in single-use plastic containers and also reimburse consumers for that fee if they return the container.<\/p>\n The senator is also behind a separate bill filed last year that would\u00a0prioritize hemp-based packaging over synthetic plastics<\/a>\u00a0for marijuana products.<\/p>\n The recycling bill is\u00a0identical to an Assembly version filed<\/a>\u00a0by Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy (D) last year.<\/p>\n The state Department of Labor separately announced in recent guidance that New York employers are no longer allowed to\u00a0drug test most workers for marijuana<\/a>.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, a New York lawmaker introduced a bill in June that would require the state to establish an institute to\u00a0research the therapeutic potential of psychedelics<\/a>.<\/p>\n Another state legislator filed legislation in December to\u00a0legalize psilocybin mushrooms for medical purposes<\/a>\u00a0and establish facilities where the psychedelic could be grown and administered to patients.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, as New York prepares the launch of its adult-use marijuana market, OCM announced\u00a0a significant expansion of the existing medical cannabis program<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Cannabis Control Board (CCB) approved revised regulations last week to allow medical marijuana patients to grow their own plants for personal use following a public comment period on initial rules that were proposed last year.<\/p>\n Doctors are now also able to issue medical marijuana recommendations to people for any condition that they feel could be treated by cannabis, rather than rely on a list of specific eligible maladies.<\/p>\n Florida Officials Invite Students Grades 4-12 To Invent New Uses For Hemp As Part Of Essay Contest<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Photo courtesy of Nicholas C. Morton.<\/em><\/p>\n The post NYC Mayor Says City Will Seek Federal \u2018Waiver\u2019 For Marijuana Greenhouses On Public Housing Rooftops<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
The mayor of New York City acknowledges that his plan to put marijuana greenhouses on to rooftops of public housing buildings may hit a snag with the federal government, and so the administration intends to seek a \u201cwaiver\u201d to avoid a conflict. Mayor Eric Adams (D) first floated the ideaContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":54333,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81,126],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54332"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54332"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54332\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":54334,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54332\/revisions\/54334"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54333"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54332"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54332"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54332"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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\nRead More: NYC Mayor Says City Will Seek Federal \u2018Waiver\u2019 For Marijuana Greenhouses On Public Housing Rooftops<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"