New Hemp Industry Rules Take Effect in New York This Week

New rules governing New York’s hemp industry take effect this week, including stricter labeling and testing requirements, the Times-Union reports. The rules were adopted by the Cannabis Control Board in November, but several provisions were delayed to allow businesses to come into compliance.

The new packaging rules require a nutritional fact panel with an ingredient list, the country and company of origin, and a bar code or QR code linking to a certificate of analysis. Products must also now be tested by third-party laboratories for product components and substances such as mold, pesticides, and metals.

Allan Gandelman, president of the New York Cannabis Growers and Processors Association, told the TU that a lot of the “subpar products” being sold in the state are from out of state.

“Without these regulations, New York state inspectors had no way of pulling that stuff off the shelves.” – Gandelman to the TU

Control board member Jen Metzger said that cannabinoid products used for wellness and those intended for consumption needed to be placed in a different regulatory framework than other, industrial, hemp products.

“The complexities of regulating the new crop and all of the potential cannabinoid products derived from that plant warranted a more robust regulatory approach,” Metzger told the TU.

The new rules provide insight into how THC-rich cannabinoid products will be regulated in the state once adult-use sales begin in the Empire State. Earlier this month, the Office of Cannabis Management approved conditional cultivation licenses for 52 cultivators but no firm start date has been announced.