the city of New York opened its first legal pharmacy 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, the first order sold legal cannabis in the state since recreational weed was legalized in 2021 for residents 21 and older.
The legal sale of marijuana statewide is estimated to bring in $1.3 billion, and the state is offering the first 150 legal sale licenses to people – and their family members – who are previously convicted of dealing or selling the drug.
“Today marks an important milestone in our efforts to create the most equitable cannabis industry in the country,” Adams wrote in a statement.
“Opening our state’s first legal pharmacy here in New York City is more than just a promising step for this nascent industry — it represents a new chapter for those most harmed by past policy failures.”
Housing Works Cannabis Co. opens Thursday in Lower Manhattan. Kenneth Woodin (above) was the first customer to buy marijuana from the store when it opened at 4:20 p.m.
A line was seen going outside the business and around the corner
The new dispensary is operated by the non-profit Housing Works – a minority social service that helps people living with AIDS and HIV, and those formerly incarcerated or homeless.
“We are absolutely thrilled to be the first and hopefully set a model for other people to follow,” said Charles King, CEO of Housing Works.
King raved about its location in the East Village area, close to New York University – a tourist hot spot.
“This location is a perfect location,” he said. ‘We are between the West Village, the East Village. Tourists can easily pass by here. So we think we’re going to get a lot of turnover here.’
The company has received about 2,000 reservations to make purchases with a line that can be seen outside the pharmacy around the corner.
King said his nonprofit hires people who have been criminalized because of marijuana.
“Housing Works pursued licensing because they wanted “the chance to improve some of the harsh conditions involved in both the criminalization of cannabis and other drugs,” he said.
The dispensary is the first to open since New York legalized marijuana in 2021
Charles King, CEO of Housing Works, is behind the opening of the new pharmacy
The company has received about 2,000 reservations to make purchases with a line that goes around the building
The Housing Works Cannabis Co. can be seen above before opening
Several people waited outside the dispensary expecting to buy their first legal joint in the state
A few people were seen smoking just outside the pharmacy
A woman freely smoked her joint outside the store
Other people wore marijuana-style shirts in support of the opening
Chris Alexander, the inaugural executive director of the state’s cannabis agency, was the first buyer at the dispensary, spending $96 on a can of marijuana flowers and watermelon-flavored gummies.
“It’s been a lot of work to get us to this point,” Alexander said. “We have a lot more work to do, a lot more stores to open.”
Alexander bought the marijuana at the store’s press conference.
New York City Council member Carlina Rivera also bought gummies and said she no longer has to go out of state for legal cannabis.
“We’re the financial center of the world, the biggest city in the world, and I think people will come here now to enjoy all sorts of things,” she said.
Kenneth Woodin was the first customer to purchase marijuana from the store when it opened at 4:20 p.m.
About 36 licenses have been granted to open pharmacies and more stores are expected to open in 2023.
Chris Alexander, the inaugural executive director of the state’s cannabis agency, was the dispensary’s first buyer, spending $96
New York City Council member Carlina Rivera also bought gummies and said she no longer has to go out of state for legal cannabis
The different purchase options were available to checkout on an ipad
The cannabis products on offer can be seen above
The store also had several cannabis gummies on display
About 36 marijuana business licenses have been issued in New York
Read ‘Buy Weed from Women’ a t-shirt for sale
King said the location was perfect because it was close to New York University and a tourist hot spot
The state is offering the first 150 legal sales licenses to people — and their family members — previously convicted of trafficking or selling the drug
The policy of allowing previously convicted illegal marijuana sellers to get first-time 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 time when pot was illegal.
Meanwhile, the Big Apple is cracking down on the illegal sale of marijuana. Mayor Eric Adams announced last week that 600 pounds of marijuana — worth about $4 million — had been seized in the past month.
In 2018, a state report estimated 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 denied people opportunities, it caused disinvestment in communities, it broke families apart,” said Tremaine Wright, chair of the supervisory board of the New York Office of Cannabis Management.
Guerrero said that in the 2000s, the New York 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, constant state of surveillance and intimidation,” she recalls.