Binghamton (United States) (AFP)
Kaelan Castetter walks the abandoned offices next to his cannabidiol-based products factory.
In a few months, the vast 3,000 m2 space will be entirely devoted to the exploitation of cannabis, the recreational use of which has been legal in New York State since last month.
"We are going to build an ultramodern, world-class complex to cultivate cannabis and study its genetics next to our finished products factory," describes the boss of Empire Standard, a site which opened last year in the suburbs of Binghamton. , a three-hour drive northwest of New York City.
The company manufactures oils, balms, cosmetics, cigarettes, candies and drinks from cannabidiol (CBD), a non-addictive substance in cannabis appreciated for its relaxing properties, and supplies retailers in the region.
In late March, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo passed a law allowing the possession and consumption of recreational cannabis for adults 21 years of age and older, and expanding its distribution for medical purposes.
Companies like Empire Standard will thus be able to grow varieties of cannabis with a high concentration of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive molecule of the plant.
- Opportunity -
In front of the assembly line at the Binghamton factory, workers in work coats assemble small plastic boxes containing CBD flowers under the supervision of Jim Castetter, Kaelan's father.
At 55, this pioneer of the sector is today sales manager of Empire Standard after multiple entrepreneurial adventures, more or less legal, in the New York cannabis industry.
He sees legalization as a historic opportunity.
“How many times in your life have you been lucky enough to enter an established market with a product that was banned for sale? It's unique,” he explains.
"We were in the right place at the right time with enough passion, ambition and know-how to be able to profit from it."
For his part, Kaelan Castetter is convinced that New York State will become a world center for the sale of marijuana, just like California.
"There could not be a better time for New York to legalize cannabis with 30,000 to 50,000 jobs at stake and billions of dollars injected into the economy," he enthuses, confident that he has seen his activity s 'run out of steam during the pandemic.
This young 24-year-old entrepreneur plans to increase his workforce from fifteen employees to more than 100.
- A long way -
The economic benefits of legalization, however, are not expected to be immediate.
To produce, distribute or sell cannabis, professionals must have an operating license, granted by a commission being formed.
"The first licenses will be granted at best by the end of the year, and only if all the lights are green," warns Cristina Buccola, a New York lawyer specializing in the industry.
Recreational cannabis, now legal in 16 US states and Washington, also remains banned at the federal level, which suggests possible challenges in law enforcement.
"In the event of a conflict, the government almost always wins," said Ms. Buccola.
Reason for hope for supporters of legalization across the country, the leader of the Democratic majority in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, who represents the State of New York, said he was in favor and wants to work on its implementation. artwork.
- Social justice -
New York law is distinguished from that of other American states by its ambitious social justice goals.
It plans to return part of the taxes on the sale of cannabis (an estimated amount of 350 million dollars per year) to the communities most affected by the crackdown on drugs in the United States - blacks and Latinos.
The criminal records of those convicted of illegal possession of cannabis will be purged.
And half of the licenses will be reserved for minorities, women-owned businesses, injured ex-servicemen or stricken farmers.
"New York has established these priorities in law, but we will have to get to the bottom of things and create a sector truly accessible to all," warns Kaelan Castetter, who is striving to recruit employees from diverse backgrounds.
Among the population, legalization has never been so supported: 68% of Americans are in favor, against less than 50% a decade ago, according to a poll conducted at the end of 2020 by Gallup.
An evolution that Jim Castetter attributes to "a change of generation, of mentality and of political structure. Today everyone realizes that consuming cannabis is not such a big deal."
© 2021 AFP