Time might be the only thing you waste while using recreational cannabis products, if Sen. Michele Hinchey’s (D-46) biodegradable cannabis packaging bill is passed.

Instead of introducing more plastics and other polluting materials to package your adult-use goodies at future dispensaries, Hinchey’s bill (S.7508) would help state agencies to make industrial hemp the primary packaging source for them. The bill is meant to support small farmers with new streams of revenue and to promote a cleaner environment.

"There is no other natural resource that offers the same environmental, agricultural, and economic potential as hemp,” Hinchey said. “My bill will create a market, [kickstart] the industry and [move] New York State to the forefront in a way that will help us tackle the climate crisis, give our small farmers a competitive edge, and boost upstate economic development."

Containers and packaging make up a majority of the everyday trash found in bins across the country, resulting in 82.2 million tons of waste in 2018, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA estimated that 14.5 million tons of plastic containers and packaging were created in 2018, with five percent of that waste coming from general municipal trash. These figures do not account for single-use plates, cups and trash bags. Plastic packages are known to suffocate numerous animals and, when consumed, harmful chemicals from plastic packaging are introduced to the food chain as predators eat animals who consume these plastics.

A recent press release from Hinchey’s office described the numerous benefits of hemp products. Hemp can grow in diverse climates and soil types, requires much less water than other cash crops, and typically does not need pesticides and herbicides. Hemp also only takes between three and six months to decompose, compared to plastics which can take 400 years to break down.

The packaging is aimed at “cannabis products,” including the raw cannabis flower itself, extracts (liquid-concentrates that are vaporized and smoked), plus cannabis-infused products such as edible and topical products, according to New York State. Industrial hemp is defined in Hinchey’s bill as a Cannabis Sativa L. plant that contains less than 0.3 percent Delta 9 THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). Delta 9 THC is one of the most prevalent chemicals in a cannabis plant and creates the “high” that recreational users experience. Fibers from a Cannabis Sativa L. plant have historically been used to make rope, building materials, and even food; the plant is also a source of the CBD (cannabidiol) chemical, which has been a popular pain and anxiety treatment in recent years.

The state’s Cannabis Control Board, of which former local Sen. Jen Metzger is a member, would be directed to develop a plan to make hemp the primary packaging material for cannabis products. The bill also would task the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM), the main authority for the state’s cannabis industry, and Empire State Development (ESD), a state entity focused on economic growth, with creating the “Sustainable Packaging Incubator Program.” The OCM and ESD will be charged with creating incentives to encourage farmers and “cannabis entrepreneurs” to contribute to the program.

This program will invite participants to develop compostable and biodegradable packages that are made up of at least 30 percent hemp. The remaining 70 percent of packaging materials can be made from recycled plastics, according to Hinchey’s office, but will not necessarily be biodegradable as well.

Program Participants must purchase hemp products that come from an eligible New York State individual, business, or corporation. Eligible suppliers include those who are designated as “small farms” by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) — those that have less than $250,000 in annual revenue. This will provide farmers with a new form of income and will be especially helpful considering that larger farms make up 85 percent of the agriculture sales in the country, according to the USDA. Small farms must also have filed their taxes during the past three years to qualify as suppliers.

This bill is one of Hinchey’s top priorities for the 2022 legislative year, according to the release. She believed it would be especially helpful for upstate farms, where most of the hemp production will take place.

“With my bill, we have an incredible opportunity to unleash the potential of biodegradable hemp-based products that slashes our use of plastics, incentivizes farmers and entrepreneurs to be part of this innovation stage, and propels an industry that has not reached even a fraction of its full potential,” Hinchey said. “Environmentally safe industrialized hemp is the future of manufacturing and I look forward to getting my bill passed in the 2022 session so that New York can lead the way in this emerging market.”