4 Myths About Sungrown Cannabis in New York
2021 has been an exciting year for the New York cannabis market, and 2022 promises to be even better. Yet despite the growth, there are still naysayers who wasted no time decrying New York as a market of consumption, not growing. But we (and all of our farmers) know this isn’t true. Here we’ll debunk four common myths about outdoor grown cannabis in New York- and set the record straight about the future of the New York cannabis industry.
1. The weather is too cold
Admittedly, upstate New York has a much cooler climate than Southern California. But let’s remember this is cannabis we’re talking about- a plant that evolved in the mountainous steppes of East Asia. This is no tropical plant. While long days of sunlight are surely a boost for any plant, it is disingenuous to say a mountainous plant can’t be grown anywhere in the US except for SoCal. The major difference lies in the cultivars of cannabis grown.
Cannabis is a complex plant with many cultivars that produce unique buds, and the plants that thrive in Southern California will be different than the plants that thrive in New York. But this variety is good for the market, providing consumers with an abundance of options, rather than monopolizing the market with one type of plant grown in one region.
2. The growing season is too short
This argument is similar to the first one, pointing out the obvious that New York’s growing season is shorter than California’s. While our growing season is limited compared to southern climates, people have been successfully cultivating crops here for thousands of years. To say the growing season is too short to be productive is an insult to farmers across the state.
Growing in New York simply requires adaption. Many farmers start their fledging plants inside the safety of a greenhouse, and transport them outside once they’re strong enough to weather the elements, thus allowing them to start cultivation earlier in the season. Some farmers are even able to achieve two harvests during the growing season, with careful planning and planting dates.
3. There won’t be enough supply to meet demand
Advocates of indoor-grown cannabis claim that the shortened growing season won’t produce enough supply to meet the demand for cannabis in New York. But with farmers already adapting to the growing season and some achieving two harvests per year, there’s plenty of cannabis to go around. New York won’t “run out of weed” simply by relying on the harvests of our farmers. And compared to other markets where thousands of pounds of cannabis go to waste, a little scarcity is certainly not a bad thing.
4. Craft cannabis can’t compete with MSO
This argument requires two points. Firstly, the legalization bill in NY places precedence on small businesses and craft producers over MSOs. More licenses are allocated for small businesses, and there is no licenses category for a multi-state, fully-integrated business that is not already selling medical cannabis.
Secondarily, New York is a state with an ongoing love affair for all things craft. You need only look at the flourishing craft beverage industry to know that craft cannabis will be welcomed with open arms. From distilleries and cideries to wineries and breweries, New Yorkers prefer products made by their neighbors in their communities. Additionally, craft cannabis producers have a significantly lower environmental impact than large companies, because the growing, processing, and shipping emissions are lower.
Jessica Reilly
Jessica Reilly is copywriter, content strategist and cannabis aficionado. She combines her passion for cannabis with her talent for writing at Jessica Reilly, Writer and runs the Cannabis Creative Blog, interviewing industry leaders. She helps cannabusinesses create copy that speaks to the soul of your business, makes you stand out in Google, and establishes the foundation for an empire. Connect with her on LinkedIn, Instagram @Cannabis_writer, or on Hi-Curious at Jess the Cannabis Blogger.