MA/CT (WFSB) — One of the biggest new laws on the books Thursday was recreational marijuana.
With that new law comes a lot of questions, including what’s allowed when growing marijuana.
In just three months, medical marijuana patients can start growing plants at home.
The state’s laws on this will be similar to the ones in Massachusetts.
Technically any dispensary can sell seeds, but how easy is it to actually find them?
“Producing seeds in a dispensary is kind of a nightmare,” said Jon Napoli, owner of The Boston Gardener.
When lawmakers legalized recreational marijuana, they also wanted to protect medicinal users. One of those steps will take effect Oct. 1, when anyone with a medical card can grow their own plants, up to three mature and three immature plants at one time.
The Department of Consumer Protection said dispensaries will be allowed to sell seeds. A spokeswoman said, “We encourage consumers to comply with the law and reach out to their dispensary to request seeds produced in compliance with the medical marijuana program.”
“You will most likely be fairly disappointed, especially if you’re looking for clones or seeds,” said Jakob Black, of Holyoke Cannabis.
Also, the law lets dispensaries sell seeds and clones, but Black said few actually do.
One concern is that growing seeds increases the risk that plants cross-pollinate.
Napoli said this is especially problematic for medicinal dispensaries, where patients have specific needs.
“You have to have male plants, and you can ruin the medicine that your growing by trying to grow seeds,” Napoli said.
Napoli’s Rosbury gardening supply store does sell seeds, and you can also buy them online. However, that comes with risks.
First, you can’t guarantee the safety or quality of the seeds. And it’s not clear if it’s legal to ship seeds across state lines.
“Seeds, since they’re so low in THC, are probably legal to ship across state lines, but historically, yeah, they’re have been issues,” Napoli said.
He added that it’s good to do some research first. Cannabis is a hearty plant, but a lack of care could impact the quality of the leaves.
“If you haven’t done it before, you either want to talk to someone who has or read a book about it,” Napoli said.
He added that some states out west have licenses for nurseries to sell seeds and plants.
Massachusetts does not offer such a license, and neither does Connecticut.