New York’s first legal dispensary for recreational marijuana opens doors

[orthene]

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/dec/29/new-york-marijuana-first-legal-dispensary-opens

From the long-empty husk of a Manhattan retail chain, new life blooms – in the form of the state of New York’s first legal dispensary for recreational marijuana, which was set to open on Thursday at 4.20pm.

Housing Works Cannabis Company will roll out retail adult-use weed sales at a shop on Broadway and Astor Place in Lower Manhattan – a former Gap outpost – with items such as edibles priced from $20 and flowers from $40, according to NBC New York.

All proceeds from these pot purchases “go back to fund our services and advocacy, which include housing, healthcare, and people living with HIV and chronic illness”, the creative director of the non-profit Housing Works, Elizabeth Koke, told the station.

New York City’s mayor, Eric Adams, added: “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.

“The legal cannabis market has the potential to be a major boon to New York’s economic recovery – creating new jobs, building wealth in historically underserved communities, and increasing state and local tax revenue.”

The opening of Housing Works’ 4,400-square-foot weed shop comes after fits and starts in New York’s cannabis industry. In 2019, possession of the psychoactive plant was largely decriminalized.

Then, in March 2021, state lawmakers greenlit legal, adult-use cannabis, planting the seeds for regulated sales. State regulators prioritized equity in determining license recipients, reserving many for applicants who had past marijuana-related convictions as well as some non-profits.

The first cultivation licenses for adult-use hemp were issued in April, and the first retail licenses were issued in November 2022. During the period between spring 2021 and the present, however, some aspiring sativa sellers decided not to wait and started hawking hash without obtaining a proper license.

Some have set up modest folding tables in the famed Washington Square Park and on street corners while other vendors boldly advertise bud from storefronts on major Manhattan thoroughfares.

New York state cannabis officials said that they are making sure entrepreneurs are aware of licensing requirements and are ramping up enforcement, including with seizures of unlawfully sold products.

[jones]

Wonderful news!

[1954]

Wondering about pricing.
 

[BurnMan]

The price is $70 an 8th for everything.

Correction. It is $90 an 8th for outdoor.

There is no indoor.

[jones]

Wondering about pricing.
 

If ya hafta ask, ya can't afford it

Somebody wearing a trench coat should be outside that shops door, undercutting those high prices

[orthene]

 Only 100 an oz here now. That's less than half what it cost this time last year.

[BurnMan]

Only 100 an oz here now. That's less than half what it cost this time last year.

Can you post a link top a menu? That is cool.

[orthene]

I haven't purchased from a dispensary, but I know a few guys that work at dispensaries. Lots sell some flower at rock bottom prices, but you will still pay a higher buck for the strains that are most popular or in demand. Of course tax goes on top when you buy from the legit market. Many of the dispensary web pages are hard to find prices on, probably due to the technicality of their existance being federally illegal. This place near Flint MI advertises ten prerolls for twenty bucks, but you would probably have to call or drop in to know what strain you're actually getting.

https://www.cannabiskingmi.com/deals

[jones]

Last pre-roll I bought was crap & I knew it would be when I saw the price. That said I have a couple of pre-rolls here, one is 11.23 % & the other is 17.79% so I guess they'll suck too

[KratomToke]

 

 

Right on NY