In the CannaCloset: Can I Grow Cannabis at Home?
In 1999, a seed was planted in Washington Heights. Cared for by two Dominican parents with heavy hearts and strict discipline, this seed has been uprooted, over-watered, and perched on a windowsill like a cat on a warm early afternoon. Twenty-four years later, this matured plant has found roots in Queens, New York. Working with fellow plants with roots across New York State and beyond, this garden has gathered to aid and feed one of our long-villainized cousins: Mary Jane.
With the passing of the Marijuana Regulations & Taxation Act in 2021, New York State successfully legalized adult-use cannabis, regulated by the Office of Cannabis Management. Not only is this the organization that allows your favorite dispensary to operate, but it also oversees the Cannabis Control Board. This Board is made up of wonderful people who have decided to now allow us to do what so many people have been doing for, quite literally, centuries.
By the way: which dispensary is your favorite? Mine is The Travel Agency: Downtown Brooklyn. Their budtenders are all super patient and knowledgeable; I know I can always walk in and get a reliable review on any new vendors or products. Sound off below and let’s talk about what each dispensary serves you!
From home cultivators in Spain cultivating for the hobby to farmers in California (and even New York) making an extra buck, people have been growing cannabis on varying scales. New York State is only one of the small lands to open its doors to its citizens and green-light at-home canna-cultivation.
What does this mean for me?
As a New York State resident (21 and above), you are allowed to grow up to six (!) cannabis plants at one time. Three of these, however, cannot be mature plants. This means only three of your plants can be producing buds at once. If your thumb is too green and you end up with more than three mature plants, there are several ways you can dispense of your grown children.
Gift to your Friends
Adults 21 and above can gift their mature plants to friends, as long as they’re above 21 as well. The key word is “gift:” the plants cannot be bought. Honestly? If I received a mature (or maturing) cannabis plant for my birthday or Christmas, I might lose my mind.
Get a Roommate
Households in New York State are allowed up to six plants per adult (above 21), three of which are allowed to be mature. If you’ve got a roommate, the number of mature plants allowed increases to six. At six mature plants, you’re capped.
Keep this in mind! Aside from your plants, you’re allowed to own up to five pounds of flower cultivated from your plants.
If you’ve got six newborns, there are some rules you still need to follow. Namely, you can’t show them off to the world. As such, cannabis can’t be planted in your garden next to your flowers (although companion planting is a wonderful way NYS cultivators like Florist Farms bring out the terpenes in cannabis) and instead needs to be kept away from windows, or any location where theft or loss of access can occur.
If I can’t grow my cannabis plants in my (public-facing) garden, or on my windowsill, how can my plants get enough light?
Now we’re trekking over to the closet, or the canna-closet. With a horizontal wooden bar holding tons of clothing, and shelves that are built at awkward angles along the walls of the world’s most inconvenient cubicles, closets that hold outfits are now a wonderfully effective way to grow cannabis; an underground greenhouse.
Closet grow setups can be a great growing method controlled by novice and experienced cannabis users alike, saving space and yielding potent, wonderful buds. With the right lighting, space, and ventilation, growers everywhere can find themselves with a mini-garden free from pests and filled with wonderfully dank cannabis. Check out GrowDiaries for a sick piece on considerations you should take if you’re planning on a canna-garden.
Canna-culture in New York State is still very new, this is no question. However, the introduction of home growth to New York State residents removes many households from the bulls-eye target that has been on them for the past decades. With the decriminalization of possession (up to five pounds) and plant possession, cannabis users can develop (or rekindle) a relationship with a plant they’ve been alienated from for so long. The ability to grow cannabis at home can create a safe, educational environment for users across generations, answering the biggest question that rattles every parent: where are you getting your drugs from? Well, Mom, you planted a seed a quarter of a century ago, and now I’m doing the same.
