Opening the First Legal Dispensary in New York City: A Step Towards Making the Most Equitable Cannabis Industry in the Nation, Says Mayor Eric Adams
“Today marks a major milestone in our efforts to create the most equitable cannabis industry in the nation,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams in a statement. “The opening of the first legal dispensary in our state right here in New York City is more than just a promising step for this budding industry — it represents a new chapter for those most harmed by the failed policies of the past.”
Housing Works offers a number of services for people living with HIV/AIDS and homeless people, Hochul said. The store will be open seven days a week and all proceeds will be directed to Housing Works, which runs a “network of charitable retail storefronts,” according to the release.
The creation of the most equitable cannabis industry in the nation is a major milestone according to New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
The measure will attempt to address the racial disparities in cannabis-related arrests with a social and economic equity program to “facilitate individuals disproportionally impacted by cannabis enforcement,” city officials have said.
A city news release said that the program includes creating a goal of 50 percent of licenses going to minority or woman owned businesses.
The New York State Office of Cannabis Management, as envisioned by the Manhattan Municipal Cannabis Works, to open its first marijuana dispensary in 2023
The bill allows adults 21 and older to buy cannabis from authorized sellers. Adults can also possess up to 3 ounces of cannabis and 24 grams of cannabis concentrate. Adults will be allowed to grow six mature and six immature plants at home after 18 months after the first sales.
The Office of Cannabis Management will be an independent office and part of the New York State Liquor Authority to implement a regulatory framework. The office was designed to have a two-tier licensing structure that would separate growers and processors from those owning retail stores, Cuomo’s office previously said.
According to CNN, if the cannabis industry is developed in New York, it’ll have a potential to create up to 60,000 new jobs and earn as much as $350 million annually in tax collections.
Housing Works received over 2,000 responses to its invitation to RSVP for the grand opening. The line outside the store was already stretching down the block hours before 4:20 p.m., Charles King, the chief executive officer of Housing Works, told CNN on Thursday. King says the nonprofit is hoping to have a total of three marijuana dispensaries in Manhattan by the end of 2023.
“We’re required by regulation to card everyone who enters the store to make sure they’re over the age of 21 and take documentation that we’ve actually done that carding,” King said.
Kenneth Woodin, who waited in line to enter the store for four hours, told CNN affiliate ABC 7, “I want to be part of history. I like the idea of regulated weed.”
The marijuana industry in the US has not been deterred by the federal ban on the drug. Most of the United States have legalized cannabis at some point. California was the first to legalize medical marijuana in 1996. Since then, the medical use of cannabis has been legalized in 39 states and the District of Columbia. Recreational cannabis use is legal in DC and 21 states.
A poll by the Pew Research Center conducted in October found that 59% of adults believe marijuana should be legal for medical and recreational use, while 30% believe it should be legal for only medical use. However, just 10% of adults say marijuana use should not be legal, the survey found.
In October, President Joe Biden took the first significant steps by a US president toward removing criminal penalties for possessing marijuana by pardoning all prior federal offenses of simple marijuana possession, a move that senior administration officials said would affect thousands of Americans charged with that crime.
Biden has also tasked the Department of Health and Human Services and Attorney General Merrick Garland to “expeditiously” review how marijuana is scheduled under federal law.
Creating Pathways into the Legalization of Marijuana Use in the U.S. and Implications for the Law of the War on Drugs
“In every single state, Black people were more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession, and in some states, Black people were up to six, eight, or almost 10 times more likely to be arrested,” the report said.
There are a lot of barriers within the industry for people of color. Attempts have been made to create paths into the industry for those with non-violent marijuana convictions whose communities were negatively impacted from the War on Drugs. But these efforts have largely been unsuccessful due to state policies that limit licenses, fail to offer financial and business resources to people of color and that benefit deeper-pocketed multistate operators, Littlejohn says.
“First and foremost, we need to get people out of prison, and we need to stop arresting people for doing things that folks are making lots of money doing,” Littlejohn said.
“I think one of the biggest problems is there seems to be an incredible disconnect between what people say they support and believe in and what [becomes law],” she said. It is up to us, the collective us, to hold people accountable.
“This is historical. It’s really important for us who buy and smoke weed because we can buy quality, instead of buying random weed that you don’t know what it’s mixed with,” Pastrana said.
He said that that was something he risked. He said that he will be purchasing his wares from legal shops in New York.
New York marijuana regulators say that a supervised industry will help ensure the safety of cannabis users.
New York City Council and the Housing Works Agency: The First Legal Recreational Marijuana Dispensary in the State of New York (Surprising Victims)
The head of the Housing Works agency, Charles King, said he was thrilled to be the first to set a model for others to follow.
“This location is a perfect location. King stated at a news conference that we were between the West Village and the East Village. “Tourists can come by here easily. We expect to ring up a lot of sales here.
Chris Alexander, the executive director of the state cannabis office, made his first purchase on Thursday morning, watermelon-flavored gummies, and a tin of marijuana flowers.
New York City Councilmember Carlina Rivera also bought gummies, and said she no longer needs to travel out of state for legal cannabis. She predicted that more openings will be a boon to the state and city economy.
The law said that it needed a $200 million public-private fund to help social equity businesses, which the law defined as those owned by women or minorities, disabled veterans and people from communities that have suffered heavy pot policing.
People who use drugs, especially low income people, have seen the ravages of the war on drugs firsthand.
Source: https://www.npr.org/2022/12/30/1146165347/new-york-opens-its-first-legal-recreational-marijuana-dispensary
In his first term, Mayor Adams warned against racial injustice and boosting police and jail spending in a tough-on-crime campaign
Adams won his seat on a tough-on-crime platform that rejected progressive activists’ calls to defund the police. He promised to strike a balance between fighting crime and ending racial injustice. As mayor, he has proposed boosting police and jail spending.