The first legal sale of recreational weed took place in a dispensary in Manhattan, just meeting the state’s deadline to open a store in 2022.
Chris Alexander, executive director of the state’s Office of Cannabis Management, made the first retail purchase of legal recreational cannabis before the doors were opened to the public. Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times
Kenneth Woodin, a stay-at-home dad, was first in line at the cannabis dispensary in Greenwich Village in Manhattan. He said he wanted to be a part of history after having been arrested on a weed charge in Houston, where he previously lived.
When he finally got inside, after a more than four-hour wait, he bought two bags, each containing an eighth of an ounce of smokable flower called Gorilla Glue for about $90.
It was the kind of transaction that used to take place out of sight. But Mr. Woodin’s purchase on Thursday was made on the first day of licensed sales of recreational cannabis since the state legalized them last year.
“This is a part of history,” Mr. Woodin, 33, said. “I don’t want to feel like being a criminal anymore.”
The sales on Thursday at a dispensary operated by Housing Works, a nonprofit that supports people living with H.I.V. and AIDS, marked the state’s pivot from decades of criminalizing marijuana to the start of a sanctioned industry projected to generate $4 billion over the next five years.
New York State is narrowly meeting its own deadline by launching retail sales of recreational cannabis just before the end of the year.Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times
The state passed a first-of-its kind law in March 2021 that gave priority to people adversely affected by enforcement of marijuana laws for early business opportunities in the new industry. But the rollout has been slow, and until Thursday, consumers had no way to purchase products legally despite an abundance of illicit shops and vendors.
The mood inside the dispensary, Housing Works Cannabis Co., on Broadway and East 8th Street, was festive and triumphant. At a morning ceremony, activists cheered on regulators and lawmakers who gave speeches celebrating the day.
“New York is leading,” said Chris Alexander, the executive director of the Office of Cannabis Management and the dispensary’s first customer before the doors were opened to the public at 4:20 p.m. “I’ve said it often and I’ll say it again, equity is not a thing. It’s the thing. It is what we are doing.”
With recreational marijuana becoming legal in several states, cannabis products are becoming more easily available and increasingly varied.
Marijuana Pardons: President Biden pardoned thousands of people convicted of marijuana possession under federal law. But many others, including those convicted on state charges, are not eligible.
High Times: New York took a significant step toward launching a legal market for recreational cannabis by approving the first licenses to operate retail dispensaries in the state.
Loosening Rules: In an effort to get sales going before the end of the year, New York regulators have scrapped a rule requiring the state’s first retail operators to accept storefronts assigned by the government.
A New Competition: The New York Growers Cup showcases small craft growers who are hoping to come up with the next big strain in weed.
By midafternoon, a line of customers had formed stretching from the storefront around the corner to Astor Place and Lafayette Street. Inside, a D.J. played upbeat music as guests grazed on hors d’oeuvres and fruity drinks. Store managers said they were expecting more than 2,000 visitors on Thursday and to sell out of products by Saturday.
At 7 p.m., closing time, store managers cut off the line, and dozens of customers lucky enough to make the cutoff were still waiting inside to purchase items an hour later.
“I don’t mind paying a little more money to come in and pick some quality flower, but it’s not an everyday thing,” said Peter Alba.Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times
Kenneth Woodin, the first customer from the general public, said he wanted to be a part of history.Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times
Even as supporters celebrated the start of legal sales at long last, the ramp up of the new industry has been mired in delay. Gov. Kathy Hochul had predicted that 20 stores would open by the end of the year, but Housing Works Cannabis Co. will be the only one for a while.
More stores are expected to come online early next year, but resources promised to them by the state have failed to materialize, and a legal challenge has stalled progress in areas including Brooklyn and Buffalo.
State regulators awarded 36 out of 175 available retail licenses in November to businesses owned by people convicted of state-level marijuana offenses and to nonprofits serving people swept up in the dragnet of antidrug enforcement.
But the state has fallen short on its promise to provide the first 150 businesses awarded retail licenses with storefronts and start-up loans, forcing regulators to relax some restrictions and businesses to revise plans. Since the licenses were issued, regulators have said that businesses could secure their own locations and start making deliveries before opening their storefronts.
Charles King, the president of Housing Works, which is operating the first licensed dispensary of recreational weed, said he hopes to expand the store’s offerings.Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times
The Dormitory Authority of the State of New York, a state agency responsible for securing the locations and raising money to help finance the leases and loans, has so far refused to say how many spaces it has leased or how much money it has raised.
State Senator Liz Krueger, the lead sponsor of the legalization bill in the Senate, acknowledged the state might need to make some changes to the cannabis program, but she said the delays were a natural part of the process and not a sign of failure.
“Who starts a major business with hiccups?” she said. “I’m fine with the hiccups because I still think we have the best model in the country. We are going to get it up and operational.”
Housing Works Cannabis offers products from six New York-based brands ranging in price from $16 to $95. One-eighth of an ounce of smokable weed costs about $65 with tax, far above street rates but about as much as some illicit dispensaries.
Charles King, the president and chief executive of Housing Works, justified the higher price, pointing to the safety of the product and where the tax money goes.
“We are not selling adulterated products,” he said.
Mr. King said that he had wanted to carry more products, but vendors could not sell to him yet because their lab tests had not been completed.
It had been difficult to find a suitable space and a landlord willing to lease it to a dispensary, and the storefront at 750 Broadway — formerly a Gap branch — was a last-minute find, Andrew Greene, the chief operating officer said.
There was a festive atmosphere inside the Housing Works dispensary.Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times
At the dispensary on Thursday, customers said they had come for the momentous occasion but also to check out the weed.
Peter Alba, 62, of Queens, said he wanted to show support for the legal industry and even applied for a job as a budtender with Housing Works earlier in the day. By the afternoon, he was waiting to make one of the first legal purchases. But he said the goods he bought would not completely replace the cheaper stuff he can get from “my buddy around the corner.”
“You’re going to charge me $80 for something I normally get for $40, and $40 if it’s really good,” he said. “But listen, I’m in. I don’t mind paying a little more money to come in and pick some quality flower but it’s not an everyday thing.”
H/T: www.nytimes.com
