It\u2019s high time for New York to grow its green market.<\/p>\n
State cannabis regulators are moving to ramp up weed production \u2014 after warning that New York could face a massive shortage of marijuana in light of the booming retail cannabis market<\/a>.<\/p>\n An analysis released Thursday by the Office of Cannabis Management<\/a> claims that, without action, the shortage of flowered marijuana could reach 365,000 pounds over the next year.<\/p>\n State cannabis regulators are moving to ramp up weed production \u2014 after warning that New York could face a massive shortage of marijuana in light of the booming retail cannabis market. Helayne Seidman for NY Post<\/p>\n An analysis released Thursday by the Office of Cannabis Management claims that, without action, the shortage of flowered marijuana could reach 365,000 pounds over the next year. Helayne Seidman for NY Post<\/p>\n Citing the gap between supply and demand, OCM Acting Executive Director John Kagia said the state could issue licenses for 100 additional pot growers this year \u2014 while allowing dozens of existing cultivators to grow more flower.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a turnaround from three years ago, when New York\u2019s weed farmers fumed over the snail\u2019s-pace rollout <\/a>of legal cannabis shops in the Empire State \u2014 complaining they sat on 300,000 pounds of spoiling marijuana crops because there weren\u2019t places to sell it.<\/p>\n \u201cThis reflects just how quickly the market has evolved,\u201d Kagia told the Post on Friday.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the early days supply outpaced demand as we worked to get our retail licenses issued and operational. Today, with nearly 600 stores open, strong consumer demand is driving growth, and our responsibility is to ensure supply aligns with demand in a way that keeps the market stable, equitable, and sustainable,\u201d Kagia said in a statement.<\/p>\n Citing the gap between supply and demand, OCM Acting Executive Director John Kagia said the state could issue licenses for 100 additional pot growers this year \u2014 while allowing dozens of existing cultivators to grow more flower. upstatecapital.org<\/p>\n Following bureaucratic fumbling and legal impediments that hindered the rollout, the cannabis retail market has dramatically increased <\/a>the past two years.<\/p>\n