Certain New York Residents Will Be Allowed to Grow Their Own Cannabis
Some New Yorkers will be legally permitted to cultivate their own marijuana at home, according to the state's Cannabis Control Board. It moved forward with regulations that will allow consumers of medical marijuana to have three mature plants and three immature plants at their homes. There is a limit of six mature and six immature plants total at any private home. The regulation is now in a 60-day public comment period.
Cannabis Control Board Chair, Tremaine Wright, said,
“With today’s vote, we are advancing these measures for the home cultivation of medical cannabis for the public’s input as we continue to expand the program and give more New Yorkers access to this medicine and the relief it provides. Thanks to the quick action by Governor Hochul and the Legislature in appointing the Board and agency leadership, we are moving full-steam ahead and look forward to continuing to expand the medical program and building a new industry that will operate safely and deliver opportunity to the communities most harmed by the war on drugs.”
The plants will need to be kept in a secure place, where residents of the home or visitors who are under 21 years of age cannot access them. Also, the plants should not be visible in public and their order should not easily be smelled.
More New Yorkers Will Have Marijuana Charges On Their Records Expunged
During its second meeting, the Cannabis Control Board also announced that approximately 203,000 cannabis-related charges against New York residents related are being removed from criminal background searches and will be expunged from their records. With the additional expungements, and the original 198,000 from 2019, the total will be more than 400,000.
Office of Cannabis Management Executive Director, Chris Alexander, said,
“The MRTA reformed New York’s criminal justice system and strives to end decades of disproportionate enforcement of New York’s marijuana laws. A key component of these reforms is the expungement of past criminal convictions for individuals with previous convictions for activities that are no longer criminalized. When completed the actions of the 2019 and 2021 laws will have expunged the records of over 400,000 New Yorkers – a staggering reminder the impact that cannabis prohibition had on so many lives. The Office is committed to working with State and local partners to ensure New Yorkers are made aware of this relief.”
New York Parents Beware of Deceptive Cannabis Products That Look Like Candy
Parents in New York are being warned about marijuana products that children might believe are candy or snacks. On Tuesday, October 26, 2021, New York State Attorney General Letitia James put parents on alert. The packaging of the products (see below) looks like popular snacks that children and teens eat. However, they contain cannabis and TCH. The products in question are illegal in New York, which could put kids in danger. These products are widely available online, so parents should be aware of their children ordering any of them.
Attorney General James warns of the potential dangers of the products to young New Yorkers,
“These unregulated and deceptive cannabis products will only confuse and harm New Yorkers, which is why they have no place in our state. It is essential that we limit their access to protect our communities and, more specifically, our children. In light of an increase in accidental overdoses among children nationwide, it is more vital than ever that we do everything we can to curb this crisis and prevent any further harm, or even worse, death. My office is committed to preventing the sale of these products and protecting the wellbeing of all New Yorkers. I urge everyone to remain vigilant against these products and to report these harmful items to my office immediately.”
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security cautions parents that these products can cause overdoses in children. Last year more than 70 percent of calls to the Poison Control Center involved children under the age of 5 ingesting cannabis edibles. For instance, the cannabis Cheetohs look-a-like product below contains 600 milligrams of THC, which is 120 times the adult limit in most states where recreational adult marijuana use is legal. If a child unknowingly consumed an entire bag, they could very easily suffer an overdose.
If you need to file a complaint about any deceptive marijuana products that your child has come in contact with, you file it here or call the OAG at (800) 428-9071.