New York Cannabis Farmers Markets – Cannabis | weed | marijuana
The cannabis farmers’ markets in New York are now a hot topic. The State Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) created a category called “Cannabis Growers Showcase”. This allows farmers to sell their crops at cannabis-focused farmers’ markets.
The control committee of the OCM passed the measure on Wednesday. They also approved 212 new retail licenses and banned the sale of synthetic cannabinoids, including hemp-derived delta-8-THC.
There are three reasons for the New York cannabis growers’ markets. Growers are oversupplied, consumers want better access to legal cannabis, and the OCM’s process of licensing dispensaries is bureaucratic and slow.
Hence legal farmers markets. Or “storefront” since cannabis shop stewards don’t want to confuse people by calling it what it is.
New York Cannabis Farmers Markets.
New York Cannabis Farmers Markets: How It Works
How do these New York cannabis growers’ markets work? It’s not that easy to set up a table at the local farmer’s market and sell homegrown weed in mason jars.
For one thing, these cannabis “showcases” differ from the average farmer’s market.
Second, there are regulations. According to OCM, to apply for a “Showcase” you must have at least one retailer (who authorizes the sale) and three growers.
Cannabis farmers can display their harvest and other products. However, all authorized sales must be made through the retailer.
As mentioned, the idea is to expand the legal ways in which people can buy cannabis. However, the OCM advises that if a local area has banned retail cannabis, applying for a “window display” is out of the question.
And these New York cannabis farmers’ markets are unlikely to be held like your average outdoor farmers’ market. Instead, the OCM calls for gatherings at cannabis farms, processing plants and dispensaries.
Essentially, New York’s cannabis growers’ markets, known as “showcases,” are licenses to celebrate.
Advantages and disadvantages
New York cannabis farmers’ markets, or “showcases,” have their pros and cons. The advantages are apparent.
As OCM’s Chief Equity Officer said:
“Not only will this initiative improve sales and retail access across the state, but it will also directly connect New York consumers with local cannabis growers and indigenous brands. But it’s not just about helping farmers; This will also allow tested cannabis to be accessible and licensed to consumers statewide for cannabis sales in communities where a local dispensary has not yet opened.”
Of course, the local unlicensed farmer supplies some communities. Not every cannabis grower is involved in violent organized crime. Some are simply farmers serving patients and customers.
And for whatever reason, be it financial or bureaucratic, the OCM prevents them from getting a license.
These are the forgotten connoisseurs of the cannabis trade. These peaceful groups of traders and farmers are more common in some areas than others. But many of the “illegal” cannabis entrepreneurs in New York fall into this category.
Wherever there is a government monopoly for issuing cannabis licenses, the system fails a group of entrepreneurs. Especially in areas of law where the barriers to entry are high.
New York Cannabis Farmers’ Markets: How It Should Work
Cannabis farmers markets in New York should function just like regular farmers markets.
Admittedly, the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets (NYSDAM) oversees the state’s farmers’ markets. But it’s undoubtedly more laissez-faire than the OCM’s “storefronts”.
Of course, the rules can be relaxed over time. Ultimately, the OCM could give way to fewer restrictions. But in the meantime, the OCM has to justify its existence.
That’s the problem with state regulators. No competition from the private sector and no possibility of bankruptcy. Large industries often take over these regulatory institutions. Pharma controls the FDA. Wall Street controls the SEC. Oil controls the EPA.
It’s called regulatory capture. And the only way out is to limit the scope and power of these state regulators. Or eliminate them altogether.
Regulation occurs naturally. Entrepreneurs regulate each other by competing for consumers. Consumers regulate entrepreneurs by patronizing various competitors.
The only way to make a profit – without government privileges – is by exchanging goods and services with people. Like high quality cannabis at a New York cannabis farmers market.
But let’s say you feel cheated by your purchase. A quarrel ensues. Luckily, humans have been trading for centuries, and we’ve managed to do without big government regulators.
In the past we used Anglo-American common law as it emerged from actual cases and settlements.
In the Western legal tradition, laws were procedural in nature. Politicians have not pre-emptively created new rules and then empowered expensive bureaucracies to enforce them.
New York Cannabis Farmers’ Markets: A Hybridization of Reality
Historical evidence does not support the conclusion that only governments can regulate the private sector. In fact, recent history suggests the opposite.
The unholy alliance between big business and big government is the result of powerful government regulators holding back small businesses and rewarding their friends.
A New York cannabis farmers market requires nothing more than permission from a property owner to host the “windows” and seller liability insurance.
Everything else is wasteful bureaucratic nonsense. Designed to bankrupt the little one while isolating the businesses that can afford it.
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