NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) -- New York state’s first legal dispensary for recreational cannabis opened Thursday in Manhattan, with the first sale to the public starting at 4:20 p.m.
Weed sales to adults 21 and older took place at Housing Works Cannabis Company at 750 Broadway, at E. 8th Street in Greenwich Village. The 4:20 sale time is a nod to cannabis culture.
The dispensary will be open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and is currently cash only. The initial products will be limited with additional offerings added in the weeks ahead, the nonprofit said. Edibles will reportedly start at $20, while cannabis flower will run between $40 and $95.
Housing Works is a minority-controlled nonprofit that serves people with HIV and AIDS, as well as homeless people and the formerly incarcerated.
The nonprofit is among the first of 36 recently licensed dispensaries to begin selling cannabis to the public, and it is one of eight nonprofits among the initial licensees. Opening dates for the other locations are set to be announced soon.
Charles King, the CEO of Housing Works, told 1010 WINS that the shop received more than 1,000 RSVPs for Thursday’s grand opening. It will sell six brands to start but hopes to have several dozen more brands before the end of February.
King said the nonprofit is “thrilled” to be the historic first legal shop in the state following generations of prohibition.
“Be assured we have plenty of supply, so we can get you through the weekend,” he said.
The first retail sales come nearly two years after New York legalized recreational use of cannabis for adults in March 2021. The state is expected to become one of the most lucrative legal pot markets in the U.S.
Facing a cluster of cameras, Chris Alexander, the inaugural executive director of the state cannabis office, made the first purchase: watermelon-flavored gummies and a tin of cannabis flowers.
“It’s been a lot of work that’s come to get us to this point,” Alexander said. “We do have a lot more work to do, a lot more stores to open.”
In the coming months, the state is set to issue an additional 139 licenses, with about 900 applicants waiting.
The state reserved its first round of retail licenses for applicants with weed convictions or their relatives, plus some nonprofit groups. It also planned a $200 million public-private fund to aid “social equity” applicants.
While the first legal sales begin this week, dozens of illegal shops have been in operation across the city for many months.
The city and state have vowed to crack down on the illegal shops as the legal market launches, saying their products are untaxed and untested.
New York City Councilmember Carlina Rivera also bought gummies, and said she no longer needs to travel out of state for legal cannabis. She predicted that more openings will be a boon to the state and city economy.
“We are the financial center of the world, the greatest city on earth, and I think people will now come here to enjoy all types things," she said.
Mayor Eric Adams released a statement Thursday applauding the grand opening, calling it 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,” the mayor said, “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,” Adams said, adding that the city will continue to “educate unlicensed operators about the law and hold bad actors accountable.”
Over a two-week period in New York City in December, a task force made up of the NYC Sheriff’s Office, NYPD and other city and state agencies seized more than 100,000 illegal products with an estimated retail value of more than $4 million, the mayor’s office said.
New Jersey and Connecticut have also legalized recreational cannabis for adults. Sales began in New Jersey in April 2022 and are set to begin in Connecticut in January 2023.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Related
Related
Related
