New York Cannabis Growers Given One Year To Submit Mandatory Sustainability Plans

The New York State Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) has introduced a new initiative to ensure that cannabis cultivation in the state aligns with its environmental sustainability goals.

Beginning in September, the OCM will launch PowerScore, a free online tool designed to help cannabis cultivators track critical sustainability metrics such as electricity and water usage, as well as waste management. This tool is part of a broader effort to grow New York's recreational marijuana industry in a way that supports the state's ambitious green energy mandates.

After PowerScore comes online, licensed cultivators will have to submit an annual report and sustainability plan to OCM. The deadline for submissions is August 31, 2025, reported Spectrum News.

What Is PowerScore?

PowerScore is a benchmarking and reporting platform specified by the OCM as the approved tool for resource tracking. The platform will be free for licensed farmers and will help them streamline cultivation process among to archive sustainability goals that are set in current regulatory framework in the State of New York.

Cannabis growers will use PowerScore to monitor and report their energy, water, and waste metrics, which are crucial for creating a sustainability benchmark across the industry.

By submitting this data annually, cultivators can help the OCM understand how well the industry adheres to New York's environmental standards.

“You can’t improve what you don’t measure and you can’t track what you don’t measure,” said OCM director of policy John Kagia during the Cannabis Advisory Board’s regular Tuesday meeting.

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Mandatory Sustainability

The sustainability regulations outlined in the Marihuana Regulation & Taxation Act (MRTA) mandates that cultivators not only track their energy and water use but also implement measures to minimize their environmental impact, which can be large considering New Yorks disadvantaged cultivation conditions. Unideal production circumstances damaging sustainability are actually a problem that emerges from the state-by-state regulatory framework situation and cannabis’ federally illegal status.

To reduce the impact of indoor farming, which is the most extended form of production in the State, the OCM encourages New York cannabis growers to adopt sustainable practices, such as using energy-efficient LED lights for indoor cultivation and implementing water-saving techniques.

Kagia also addressed the cost issue by admitting that growers will need to get creative in achieving energy efficiency without increasing product costs or making legal shops less competitive against the illegal market.

“We’re very intentional, very conscious about trying to keep the cost down because this is already a high-cost state to operate in,” he said.

• Read Next: Cannabis Sustainability: Why It Matters and How to Achieve It With Practical Inexpensive Measures

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