Help for the hashish trade in Finish of Session Push
Three payments supported by Lupardo, Hinchey and Cooney
will assist NY hashish growers and processors
(ALBANY, NY) – With the 2024 Legislative Session ending final week, Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo, Senator Michelle Hinchey and Senator Jeremy Cooney in the present day introduced the passage of three items of laws aimed toward supporting farmers and New York hashish processors. The payments now await motion by the governor.
A invoice is on the lookout for defines hashish as an agricultural crop (A1234 Leopard / S1752 Hinchey). Doing so would guarantee the identical advantages and protections for New York's hashish growers which are already granted to farmers of different crops together with grapes grown for wine and hops grown for beer. These protections, together with the Proper-to-Farm provisions and a decrease property tax primarily based on the agricultural evaluation worth of the land, will assist farmers decrease their manufacturing prices.
A second challenge that creates a Hashish Showcase Occasion Allow (A10398 Leopard / S9679 Hinchey) made its approach via the Legislature within the remaining hours of the session. The challenge relies on the Workplace of Hashish Administration Showcases (CGS) of Hashish Growers created in 2023 to assist growers who’ve struggled with the dearth of authorized gross sales markets. The Showcase program expires on January 1, 2024. When enacted, the OCM will draft new rules to replace the regulatory construction of the earlier program. This can as soon as once more permit growers to associate with dispensary licensees to promote their merchandise and generate a lot wanted earnings.
Lastly, a invoice was handed to permit growers and processors of hashish the choice to pay their hashish excise annual as an alternative of quarterly (A10196 Leopard / S9359 Cooney). The gradual implementation of the grownup hashish retail market has created a backlog of merchandise ready to promote. This has created a monetary pressure on farmers and processors who should pay taxes on merchandise earlier than promoting them to shoppers. This laws will permit flexibility available in the market on the time of maturity and will present monetary life.
Meeting Donna Lupardo, President, Agriculture Fee of the Meeting stated: “We’ve tried in each approach doable to offer help to this undervalued phase of the NY hashish trade, the place the monetary losses have been staggering. Whereas we proceed to push for recognition of those losses, we should additionally make modifications legislature that acknowledges the present wants and circumstances. I wish to thank my Senate companions for his or her management, dedication and continued advocacy. We sit up for the governor trying favorably on our efforts.”
Senator Michelle Hinchey, Chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, stated: “New York requested its farmers to steer the expansion of our rising hashish trade, and plenty of answered the decision, however they confronted devastating monetary losses because of a scarcity of gross sales markets. We fought onerous. to offer aid to our hashish growers, and this session we handed laws to create extra dependable avenues of sale for growers and develop tax advantages. These victories are essential and a part of a broader answer that’s wanted to place us again in New York's farmers and hashish trade. I thank Assemblyman Lupardo and Senator Cooney for his or her partnership on this continued battle.”
Senator Jeremy Cooney, Chairman, Senate Subcommittee on Hashish stated, “These payments are about offering help to our farmers and entrepreneurs as they work to develop their companies, together with my invoice to provide processors and growers extra monetary flexibility when submitting their taxes. I used to be proud to work with Senator Hinchey, Assemblyman Lupardo and our colleagues within the Legislature to get this stuff executed earlier than the tip of the session and present our farmers that we’re dedicated to constructing a thriving authorized hashish market in New York.”
Damien Cornwell, president of the Hashish Affiliation of New York, stated: “WeI’m very grateful to Assemblyman Lupardo and Senators Hinchey and Cooney for his or her steadfast help of this trade, and specifically, the steadfast farmers of New York who’ve risked and misplaced a lot to take down this trade. This trade might be stronger for these modifications within the regulation that may defend hashish farmers from extreme taxation and supply monetary duty, and we sit up for persevering with to work with legislators to satisfy the various wants of this rising trade.”
Board Members and Co-Founders of the Hashish Farmers Alliance stated, “Assemblyman Lupardo and Senators Hinchey and Cooney have been our staunchest supporters, providing sound recommendation and coverage steerage to make sure that hashish growers will not be left behind throughout troublesome instances for the trade. From advocating for an unprecedented assist bundle throughout finances negotiations to rapidly fixing market deficiencies with laws, they’ve labored in tandem with growers to ease our burdens. The tax reform invoice and the codification of occasion permits are commonsense insurance policies that enhance the enterprise local weather for growers, and simply as importantly, transfer the trade towards alignment with different adult-use merchandise. . With out their help and backing, our farms might be in danger and the whole provide chain in danger. We urge the governor to enact these applications designed to make the market extra equitable for all events.”
Renée St. Jacques, Senior Affiliate Director of Public Coverage at New York Farm Bureau, stated, “Many New York farmers have taken the chance to enter this new market and it’s important that hashish is handled as a authentic agricultural crop. These payments help the flexibility for New York farmers to develop hashish and have a business success within the state. The passage of this laws demonstrates our robust dedication to selling a thriving authorized hashish trade in New York. Thanks to Assemblyman Lupardo and Senator Cooney for working to move this laws and proceed to help New York's farmers.”
Mack Hueber, President Empire Hashish Producers Affiliation, stated: “Assemblyman Lupardo and Senators Hinchey and Cooney have led the way in which for this trade within the Legislature and we couldn’t be extra grateful for the motion they’ve taken to strengthen the whole hashish provide chain by supporting farmers of New York who’ve opened this market and at the moment are dealing with difficulties because of a slower roll than anticipated Hashish farmers shouldn’t be handled in another way underneath the property tax regulation, and the safety supplied to them this session is essential because the modifications to the excise regulation present a lot wanted flexibility together with the growth of the roads for them to promote the merchandise that work so onerous With greater than 130 dispensaries open, and extra opening each week, New York hashish growers are able to scale manufacturing and the help of the legislature is vital to reaching our collective targets.”
Joint – Hashish Finish of session
