For the first time at the New York State Fair, visitors can stop at a booth that advocates for the responsible consumption of cannabis.
Organizers of the Green Standard Alliance booth say this is an important for milestone for the cannabis industry in New York.
The booth in the Horticulture building is pretty typical by State Fair standards, with giveaways, huge posters and videos. But this is the first one ever that’s focused on cannabis. Herb Barbot, who used to work with the state Office of Cannabis Management said cannabis shares the Fair’s agricultural roots.
"So, it belongs in an agricultural fair," Barbot said. "We want to educate consumers. Not convince consumers to partake in cannabis, but if they're interested in learning more about cannabis, we're here to do that."
Normalizing cannabis is a key goal of the advocacy group. Even though recreational marijuana has been legal in New York for over five years, Linda Baldwin, former general counsel of Office of Cannabis Management, said there’s still a stigma surrounding it.
“There are a lot of communities that still haven't crossed over, don't understand that it is legal and that people are using cannabis whether they like it or not," Baldwin said. "And so the longer that they hold back, the more stigma there is and the more people end up buying unlicensed cannabis, which is not a good thing."
Barbot said that’s another goal of the booth, to emphasize the importance of using legal marijuana.
“It's grown by New York farmers, processed in New York, it's tested in New York," he said. "And a portion of the tax money goes back into the communities that need it."
Barbot figures New York is in line with California, where statistics show two-thirds of marijuana sales are from unregulated sources, which are cheaper than buying from a state regulated dispensary. But he said people need to know the state regulated sources are safer.
Marijuana bought on the street or from any unregulated source can include dangerous contaminants as well as inaccurate THC levels. The number of dispensaries continues to grow, doubling from a year ago according to Baldwin, which leads to another reason to highlight the state’s program.
"There is a very large cannabis industry, but hopefully growing so that we could have more good paying jobs," she said. "So it's an entire economic benefit for the state as well."
