New York City opened its first legal dispensary in the city at 4:20 p.m. Thursday, as Mayor Eric Adams claimed it was a “promising move.”
Housing Works Cannabis Co. in Lower Manhattan sold the first order of legal cannabis in the state since recreational cannabis was legalized in 2021 for residents ages 21 and older.
Legal marijuana sales statewide are estimated at $1.3 billion, and the state is offering the first 150 licenses for legal sale to people — and their relatives — previously convicted of dealing or selling the drug.
“Today marks an important milestone in our efforts to create the nation’s fairest cannabis industry,” Adams wrote in a statement.
“The opening of our state’s first legal pharmacy, here in New York City, is more than an auspicious step for this burgeoning industry — it represents a new chapter for those most harmed by failed policies of the past.”
Housing Works Cannabis Co. opened Thursday in Lower Manhattan. Kenneth Woodin (above) was the first customer to buy marijuana at the store when it opened at 4:20 p.m
A line was seen going outside the store and around the corner
The new pharmacy will be run by the nonprofit Housing Works, a minority social organization that helps those living with AIDS, HIV, those who have been incarcerated or are homeless.
“We’re absolutely thrilled to be first and hopefully setting a model for other people to follow,” said Charles King, CEO of Housing Works.
King raved about its location in the East Village area near New York University, which is a tourist hotspot.
“This location is a perfect location,” he said. “We’re between the West Village and the East Village. Tourists can easily pass by here. So we think we’re going to get a lot of sales here.’
The company has received about 2,000 reservations to make purchases with a line that can be seen in front of the pharmacy around the corner.
King said his nonprofit hires people who have been criminalized for marijuana.
“Housing Works sought to obtain a license because they “wanted an opportunity to ameliorate some of the harsh circumstances associated with the criminalization of both cannabis and other drugs,” he said
The dispensary is the first to open since New York legalized cannabis in 2021
Housing Works CEO Charles King is behind the opening of the new pharmacy
The company has received around 2,000 reservations to make purchases with a line around the building
The Housing Works Cannabis Co. is seen above before opening
Several people waited outside the dispensary, expecting to buy their first legal joint in the state
A few people were spotted smoking right outside the pharmacy
A woman freely smoked her joint in front of the shop
Other people wore marijuana-style t-shirts to support the opening
Chris Alexander, the first executive director of the state cannabis bureau, was the first buyer at the dispensary, spending $96 for a can of marijuana flowers and watermelon-flavored gummies.
“It was a lot of work that got us to this point,” Alexander said. “We still have a lot to do and a lot more stores to open.”
Alexander bought the marijuana during the store’s press conference.
New York City Councilman Carlina Rivera also bought gummy bears and said she no longer had to travel abroad to get legal cannabis.
“We’re the financial center of the world, the greatest city in the world, and I think people will come here now to enjoy all kinds of things,” she said.
Kenneth Woodin was the first customer to purchase marijuana at the store when it opened at 4:20 p.m.
About 36 licenses to open pharmacies have been issued, and more stores are expected to open in 2023.
Chris Alexander, the first executive director of the state cannabis office, was the first buyer at the dispensary, spending $96
New York City Councilman Carlina Rivera also bought gummy bears and said she no longer had to travel abroad to get legal cannabis
The various purchase options were available at checkout on an iPad
The cannabis products offered are shown above
The store also had various cannabis gummies on display
About 36 marijuana business licenses have been issued in New York
‘Buy Weed from Women’ read a t-shirt for sale
King said the location is perfect as it is close to New York University and a tourist hotspot
The state is offering the first 150 legal sale licenses to people – and their dependents – previously convicted of trafficking or selling the drug
The policy of allowing previously convicted illegal marijuana sellers first access to business licenses was implemented by the state’s Democratic leaders.
Officials sought to compensate African American and Hispanic communities whose members were disproportionately arrested and sentenced during the period when weed was illegal.
Meanwhile, the Big Apple is cracking down on illegal marijuana sales. Mayor Eric Adams announced last week that 600 pounds of weed worth about $4 million had been seized in the last month.
In 2018, a state report estimated that there had been 800,000 arrests for marijuana possession in the past 20 years. In 2017, most of those arrested were black, 48 percent, while Hispanics made up 38 percent of arrests.
“Prohibition has denied people opportunities, it has caused investment in communities, it has torn families apart,” said Tremaine Wright, chair of the Oversight Board of the New York City Bureau of Cannabis Management.
Guerrero said that in the 2000s, the New York City Police Department’s notorious stop-and-frisk policy, which disproportionately targeted people of color, meant that “we couldn’t be outside without being picked up by the police.”
“It just lived in a constant state of surveillance and harassment,” she recalled.