Visitors check out cannabis products on a shelfs at Essential Flowers warehouse on Thursday, April 20, 2023 in Albany, N.Y. Essential Flowers and Legacy Dispensers will begin delivering local Sugarhouse Farms products.
ALBANY — In high school, Matthew Robinson could often be found in his car, breaking up pounds of marijuana into dime bags and delivering them to customers while evading the police.
Now, 25 years later, Robinson is spearheading New York’s first regulated cannabis delivery service through the delivery arm of his company Essential Flowers, Legacy Dispensers. Deliveries officially began on Thursday, April 20 (4/20), a day known worldwide for celebrating and consuming cannabis, in what the Albany native describes as a “full circle moment.”
New York’s first retail recreational marijuana dispensary opened in Manhattan in December. The state also allows any retail location to deliver cannabis if the order is from a customer older than 21 (which is verified through identification) and prepaid through a banking routing number. As one of the first 36 conditional adult-use retail licensees, Robinson has plans to open a retail location as well, but it was easier to start the delivery business first.
Late last year, to assist retail in getting off the ground, New York opened a one-year window for proprietors to start delivery before opening their retail businesses. There are, however, licenses that are available for delivery-only shops.
A retail shop in New York City is the only one other location currently delivering cannabis products in New York.
“As a Black man who had been arrested for cannabis possession after being targeted by police for two unlawful searches in Guilderland and Albany’s South End, I understand the historical importance of our service and am proud to provide it to my neighbors and friends in the Albany area,” Robinson said.
The earthy smell of fresh cannabis fills the space of his Albany warehouse, which is stocked with locally grown cannabis products including pre-rolled joints, blunts, flower, dime bags, vapes, drinks, tinctures, edibles and concentrates. Cannabis producers statewide traveled to the location, the address of which Robinson wants to keep low-key for security reasons, to celebrate the milestone and add their products to the menu.
Customers who have already lined up at Upstate Canna Co., the Capital Region’s first recreational dispensary in Schenectady, might see some familiar names, such as Sugarhouse Farms, Adirondack Hemp Company, Canna Cure Farms, Juniper Jill and Marijuana Farms New York. Some new brands are making their official debut through the delivery service.
Justice Merkel, owner of Livingston County-based farm Starlit420, traveled four hours to supply the warehouse with his brand’s pre-rolls, wrapped up in space-themed packaging. For him, 4/20 marks the beginning of his brand’s transition to the retail space and, possibly, his first legal sale.
“I’ve been in the business since I was 14 and I’ve been through the wringer as far as everything from being locked up to being robbed at gunpoint,” Merkel said. “Now that we have this opportunity, this full opportunity to sell our goods, it will be good for the whole community and if we’re able to keep all the business in New York instead of outside companies then we’ll generate wealth for years to come.”
Deliveries can be made to residents in Albany County and other nearby jurisdictions. Prices vary depending on the distance drivers must travel. The service is simple, but there’s an added emphasis on security and employee safety. Delivery drivers and suppliers must check in through a window to have their identity verified before bringing their vehicles into the supply area. To start, there will always be two employees in each of the unmarked delivery cars. (The company has two cars but hopes to expand to 22.)
A secure lock box in the trunk will secure the products during delivery. When the drivers arrive, only one employee will exit the vehicle to complete the delivery. Unlike food delivery services like Grubhub or DoorDash, the delivery cannot be left at a customer’s doorstep. Instead, customers must have their IDs scanned and sign for the package.
The delivery service will operate 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Sunday. Orders may be made through the company’s website, called in or emailed with delivery inquiries. Because of federal guidelines against cannabis, electronic bank-to-bank payments, which require routing and banking numbers, are required to order. Cash is also prohibited due to security concerns for drivers.
As Robinson prepares to lead the charge on deliveries, he reflects on his convictions and said it has been a difficult adjustment becoming the face of a service that he and so many other people of color were once punished for. “It was hard because you want me to come out and say I’m selling weed and my whole life it’s been illegal. I’ve been chased by police and older people who call you a drug addict and stuff like that, and now it’s legal. It took me time to ease in and get the feel of that because I’ve never done it legally.”
But, as he stood in front of cultivators and community members alike, Robinson felt right at home, beaming with gratitude. Cheers echoed in the warehouse as he and other team members cut the ribbon Thursday with members of the Capital Region Chamber of Commerce, cheering “Happy 4/20” ahead of the first delivery.
“At the chamber, we are a reflection of the community, we’re here to serve you and we’re happy to be working together with such a diverse business community,” said Pete Bardunias, chamber senior vice president of community advancement. “There are lots of new things happening in this world and we’re trying to be there right alongside you for all of it.”
We tallied the votes from this year’s Best of the Capital Region contest in 100 categories.
H/T: www.timesunion.com
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