As part of its economic development agenda, the Adams administration has been pushing an ambitious pilot program for rooftop cultivation on federally-funded NYCHA public housing properties. The current laws, however, still classify marijuana as a controlled substance, leading to an inevitable impasse. An inbound decriminalization bill written by New York Democratic congressman Jerry Nadler could clear the way for legal grow operations on such property via an update to the federal guidelines, which a spokesperson for the mayor told Gothamist are held over from a pernicious era of public policymaking. 

“[Federal] laws still on the books continue to harm the same communities that have been targeted for decades,” City Hall spokesperson Charles Lutvak explained. “The House passed legislation to this effect earlier this month, and we need those who are obstructing progress at the federal level to follow New York’s lead.”

Meanwhile, the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, which is responsible for over half of the funding NYCHA receives, says there has been no communication on the part of New York City as to any future guidance for the program. 

“HUD has not been approached on this issue,” a spokesperson at the agency said bluntly. “There isn't much more to say, marijuana is illegal in public housing.”