Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Tuesday was a historic day for the City of Buffalo and cannabis enthusiasts as Dank 716, Western New York's first recreational, state-regulated marijuana dispensary, opened their doors to the public a couple minutes following 4:20 p.m. ET on Main Street.
With a line forming around the block, many customers were excited to be a part of a historic event for the state and city as they walked in to find a vast selection of state-regulated marijuana products after a long wait since legalization in 2021.
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"I think it's been a long-time coming, and we're all kind of eager to see what Dank has in store for us," says John from Buffalo.
"It feels great. It's an honor. This actually feels crazy. It does feel crazy because it's Buffalo, this is Buffalo, New York, nobody ever thought this was going to happen. It's definitely history. It feels good to be a part of history in the city," says OJ Barker, the first customer of Dank 716.
Many of those waiting to get inside were excited to finally purchase regulated, as advertised product, some grown locally here in the area.
John Carney from West Seneca, who saw dispensaries open in Oregon, says he's reliving the excitement all over again, as he finally he gets to see a regulated dispensary finally open up in his hometown area and not have to get his product from a "sticker shop" or untrustworthy dealer.
"What is advertised is what you're getting, you know, a lot of times with certain shops that aren't regulated, you never really know what's going on or what products you're getting really," Carney notes.
"A lot of people can throw a name on anything, and you don't really know [what you're getting], unless you're a connoisseur of the sorts. But for people who need the regulations implemented to make sure that they're getting the benefits from this cannabis source is huge. It's very huge. I myself, was hesitant to go to certain sticker shops or even reservations or whatnot, because, you know, I just don't know what I'm going to be getting. So to have this avenue to have the regulations implemented, and to be able to have that peace of mind, it's a big deal."
Nick from West Seneca concurs with John.
"Everybody says, 'Oh, you can get it at the Res, you can get it here and there. But you know, it's like beer, you would rather have beer made at a factory and have it all with checks and balances and stuff where you know that it's up to par, as opposed to grown by some person who doesn't know what they're doing. It could have mold on it, or it could get you sick or whatever."
Buffalo's Fillmore District Council Member Mitch Nowakowski emphasized that regulation is safety for cannabis consumers. He, alongside Erie County Legislator Howard Johnson, remind the public that this is a day of redemption for those who were wrongfully incarcerated for marijuana convictions, as it was they who were among the first to apply for a conditional adult-use recreational dispensary license, part of New York State's Seeding Opportunity Initiative.
"Regulation is health and safety, so folks know what is going in their body. Let's just face it, we're still working through the "tabooness" of dispensaries. But I know that as more licensed dispensaries come in and they come into compliance, we'll start seeing a brave new world that we all need to walk into together," said Nowakowski.
A culture that has oftentimes been ridiculed and mocked by those who do not partake, the cannabis community is excited to have some acceptance and understanding within the Western New York community, as well as more available options for those who use marijuana to medicate or enjoy it recreationally, like alcohol.
"This is a culture that's just as big, if not bigger, than the alcohol culture or any other culture that people celebrate in Western New York," says Kori from Buffalo. "There's many breweries and there's people drinking a beer. And like I said before, we've been legal for about three years now and the fact that even medical patients can't really just go into a recreational spot... that it's hard to find, it's something that we need to get past and it's just it's a big day. It's huge, it's exciting that we finally get our culture represented legally and in the right proper way."