New York State officially legalized recreational marijuana back on March 31, 2021, and we’ve since seen The House of Cannabis, the first-ever permanent home celebrating “high culture,” legal recreational weed dispensaries popping up around NYC, and even a cannabis parade marching through the city’s streets.
But soon you may not even have to take a trip to the dispensary to get your weed–you may be able to just grow it yourself!
New York’s Cannabis Control Board is currently considering allowing New Yorkers to grow marijuana at home, and the board will soon vote on regulations to potentially make this legal.
The proposed rule was actually part of the original law that legalized marijuana in March 2021, but the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) clarified that it wouldn’t go into effect until more specific regulations were released.
But now we may have reached that point!
A preview of the proposed rules from the state’s OCM state that New Yorkers at least 21 years old would legally be able to either purchase seeds online or buy the plants from licensed dispensaries.
Home growers would be allowed up to six mature plants (those with visible buds) and six immature plants per residence, along with up to 5 pounds of flower from those plants–way more than the three ounces of marijuana current laws allow people to possess.
Additional rules drafted by the OCM also include the following:
- Pot plants must be in a secure location not plainly in public view
- A grower can only cultivate marijuana at one single location, not multiple addresses
- Landlords and Co-op buildings and condos will be able to determine whether they want to implement odor mitigation policies, but they can’t forbid residents from possessing marijuana
To clarify, since marijuana is still considered an illicit drug under federal law, these regulations don’t apply to those who live in federally subsidized housing or on federal property.
According to The NY Post, weed regulators stated:
New Yorkers who live in federally subsidized housing, including in NYCHA, any other Section 8 housing, or US Military Bases, cannot home cultivate cannabis…and could be at risk of losing their housing if they participate in home cultivation.
The board was originally scheduled to meet Wednesday, January 24th, but the vote was postponed to an unknown date. If the regulations are approved the Cannabis Control Board would hold a 60-day public comment period before New Yorkers could grow marijuana at home.