Growing cannabis cuttings and young plants for other weed businesses is about to become a licensed trade of its own in New York. Applications open November 5, and the state is taking just 50 in the first round. Number 51? Tough luck. Even if your plants look like they belong in a gardening magazine.
These aren't dispensaries selling weed across the counter. Think of them as nurseries for the cannabis industry, supplying seeds, cuttings and young plants to businesses that take things from there. Applying costs $1,000, while the license fee depends on whether you're growing outdoors, indoors or somewhere in between. And no, paying a thousand bucks doesn't mean you've bought yourself a license. There's still a fair bit of paperwork between you and your first legal crop.
New York says more application rounds are planned, although no dates have been announced yet. For now, the idea is to keep the first wave manageable rather than let applications pile up. The state's legal weed market is already bringing in billions, but somebody has to grow the plants that keep the whole thing moving. Turns out even a billion-dollar business has to start somewhere. Usually in a little pot.
