Hemp farmers across the state say a proposed ban on the sale of hemp flower could mean financial ruin for growers.
"The state really needs the money now, so it makes zero sense to ban smokable hemp flower at this time," said Jason Minard, general counsel at Hempire State Growers.
Regulations proposed by the state Health Department in October would ban the sale of any flower product, including cigarettes, cigars, and pre-rolls. Minard said the farm would suffer greatly if those regulations are adopted.
"Flower is the easiest entry point into the market for a small craft grower. You don’t need an extractor, you don’t have to pay the high cost for food-grade ethanol. Flower is earning, according to hemp benchmarks, 20 times as much as biomass — what you see on the stick, straight from the fields," he said.
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