The launch of what is anticipated to be one of the most profitable cannabis markets in the nation on Thursday marked the opening of the first legal recreational marijuana dispensary in New York, which is supported by the dozens of illegal businesses that have been operating openly for years.
The much-awaited inauguration of the first state-approved dispensary, run by the nonprofit organization Housing Works, prepares the stage for a flurry of more openings planned in New York in the upcoming months. In March 2021, the state approved marijuana uses for recreational purposes.
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Around the block, there was a long line of people waiting in eager anticipation of the opening. The aroma of marijuana filled the room.
At 4:20 on Thursday afternoon, when the store opened to the public, Lino Pastrana was one of those waiting his turn.
Pastrana noted, “this is historical. It’s really important for us who buy and smoke weed because we can buy quality, instead of buying random weed that you don’t know what it’s mixed with.”
He said that was a risk he took. “You can buy weed anywhere in New York,” he asserted, adding that going forward, he anticipates purchasing his goods from authorized dispensaries.
That is the precise hope of the New York marijuana authorities, who claim that a controlled sector will help guarantee that cannabis consumers are purchasing safe goods.
That was another goal shared by Housing Works executives, who said that establishing a marijuana company would aid in funding their initiatives.
Charles King, CEO of Housing Works, a minority-controlled social-service organization that assists people with HIV and AIDS, as well as those who are homeless and formerly incarcerated, said, “We’re absolutely thrilled to be the first and hopefully setting a model that other people will have to follow.”
The lower Manhattan shop is the first of 36 recently permitted dispensaries to operate; the state Office of Cannabis Management still has to grant 139 more licenses, and 900 applications are waiting to hear back. Eight non-profit organizations, including Housing Works, were selected in the initial round of licensees.
The enormous urban campus of New York University, whose students may offer a ready supply of clients, sits just next to the cannabis business.
On Thursday, New York’s first legal marijuana dispensary made its first sales, launching what is anticipated to be one of the most profitable cannabis marketplaces in the nation.
“This location is a perfect location,” King remarked during a press conference on Thursday morning, “We’re between the West Village, the East Village.”
He added, “tourists can come by here easily. So, we think we’re going to ring up a lot of sales here.”
Chris Alexander, the new executive director of the state cannabis office, made the first purchase Thursday morning in front of a crowd of cameras: a tin of marijuana flowers and watermelon-flavored sweets.
“It’s been a lot of work that’s come to get us to this point,” Alexander remarked. “We do have a lot more work to do, a lot more stores to open.”
Carlina Rivera, a councilwoman for New York City, claimed she no longer has to leave the country to obtain legal marijuana after purchasing gummies. She projected that the state and city economies will benefit from increased opportunities.
We are the largest city on earth and the financial hub of the world, so she predicted that people would soon visit to take use of all the amenities.
In the United States, New York joined almost two dozen other states in legalizing marijuana for recreational use. In contrast to many other states, New York has reserved its initial round of retail licenses for nonprofits, applicants with marijuana convictions, and their relatives as a recognition of the injustices brought about by the nation’s drug war.
Additionally, a $200 million public-private fund was designed to support social justice enterprises, which the legislation described as those run by women, people of color, struggling farmers, handicapped veterans, and residents of areas where marijuana use was heavily policed.
“We have seen firsthand the ravages of the war on drugs, on people who use drugs, particularly the most marginalized people, low-income people,” King noted.
King said that his foundation employs people who had been arrested due to marijuana-related offenses. In order to “have the opportunity to ameliorate some of the harsh circumstances implicated in both the criminalization of cannabis as well as other drugs,” Housing Works explored obtaining a license, according to him.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams noted in a statement, “Today marks a major milestone in our efforts to create the most equitable cannabis industry in the nation.” “The opening of the first legal dispensary in our state right here in New York City is more than just a promising step for this budding industry — it represents a new chapter for those most harmed by the failed policies of the past.”
