Gov. Hochul announces web portal for hemp farmers seeking to grow cannabis

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Tuesday the opening of an online portal for hemp farmers seeking to obtain a conditional license to grow adult-use cannabis in the 2022 growing season.

The portal opened today by the New York State Office of Cannabis Management allows hemp farmers seeking an adult-use Cannabis Conditional Cultivator License to apply with ease.

The license was made possible by a law the Governor signed last month, called the Conditional Cannabis Cultivation Bill.

"This initiative will create meaningful opportunities for economic empowerment for New York farmers and impacted communities. Now that our application portal is open, I encourage every eligible New York farmer to participate in the farm-to-sale pipeline that will create jobs and opportunity throughout the Empire State.," Gov. Hochul said.

Hemp farmers had been pushing for Hochul to sign the bill, as it was passed by the state legislature on Feb. 16.

In order to obtain the license, there are strict guidelines that must be followed, and applicants interested are strongly encouraged to read the program guidelines before applying.

The web-based application portal can be found here.