NEW YORK (AP) — New York is paving the way for hemp farmers to get a head start on growing marijuana for legal sales that are expected to begin next year. Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation Tuesday that lets hemp growers apply for two-year licenses to grow for the forthcoming legal recreational pot market. Licensees can start planting this spring. Hochul says the measure will jump-start “the safe, equitable and inclusive” marijuana industry the state is building. It’s been nearly a year since New York legalized recreational use of marijuana for adults, but officials are still working on regulations for growing and selling cannabis legally.
Photo: Dried hemp plants are sorted and trimmed at Hepworth Farms in Milton, N.Y., Monday, April 12, 2021. . (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
