NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) –The Upper West Side's first legal cannabis shop, Flower Power Dispensers, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony and opened its doors just a block away from Central Park on Monday.
“We’ve been around the cannabis sector for a long time,” Matt Greenberg, an advisor to the shop's owner, Angelo Kiki, told 1010 WINS. “This is one of the better-positioned dispensaries in the state and in the country. And the job that Angelo did to build this out and build a beautiful store with an incredible staff I think will really change opinions on New York cannabis and on cannabis as a legal product.”
According to its website, FPD, which is located on 22 W. 66th St., is a “warm neighborhood shop, curating top-quality legal, tested cannabis products for everyone over 21.”
Kiki holds a CAURD license, part of New York State's initiative to open legal adult-use cannabis sales with businesses owned by justice-involved individuals, contributing to the normalization and destigmatization of cannabis.
The shop's opening hours will be Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Once inside, customers will find several shopping options, including kiosks for browsing or a quick-stop concierge service for faster visits.
This legal opening comes following Gov. Kathy Hochul's announcement in February of an initiative to close unlicensed cannabis markets, calling on tech companies to halt online promotion of unregulated sales.