Rise of the farmers: Small NY group becomes cannabis power player

One of the most influential groups helping set policy for New York’s legal cannabis industry is led mostly by farmers with little prior political experience — but with early success in representing small to mid-sized marijuana businesses, the group is punching above its weight.

The New York Cannabis Growers and Processors Association consisted of five people and one paid lobbyist when it formed about three years ago. Today, the association stands at about 250 members, according to the group, and its board members point to several accomplishments within the state’s cannabis legalization law as evidence of its increasing clout in Albany.

Now, as state officials set policy for New York’s forthcoming legal adult-use cannabis industry, a primary goal for the NYCGPA is to make sure small to mid-sized cannabis companies aren’t derailed by overregulation or unfair competition against the large multistate companies currently supplying the state’s medical marijuana program.

And legislators appear to be listening.

“They’re definitely taking notes, and we’ve seen that overall in the evolution of our work in Albany,” said Andrew Rosner, an association vice president. “We are an incredibly active association.”

Origins of the NYCGPA

The NYCGPA’s formation began with a chance encounter at a Cornell University conference on growing and processing hemp in fall 2018. Rosner, co-founder of NY-based hemp company HR Botanicals, switched seats to sit near an interesting-looking stranger named Allan Gandelman, now the group’s president. [Read More @ Syracuse.com]