First legal cannabis dispensary opens in Manhattan

Housing Works Cannabis Company will roll out retail adult-use weed sales at a shop on Broadway and Astor Place in Lower Manhattan – a former Gap outpost – with items such as edibles priced from $20 and flowers from $40.

Marijuana plants hang in a drying room at a farm in Suffolk county, New York.

New York has $750m worth of cannabis stockpiled that growers can’t sell.

New York City’s mayor, Eric Adams, said: “Today marks a major milestone in our efforts to create the most equitable cannabis industry in the nation.

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.

The legal cannabis market has the potential to be a major boon to New York’s economic recovery – creating new jobs, building wealth in historically underserved communities, and increasing state and local tax revenue.

The opening of Housing Works’ 4,400-square-foot weed shop comes after fits and starts in New York’s cannabis industry. In 2019, possession of the psychoactive plant was largely decriminalised.

Then, in March 2021, state lawmakers greenlit legal, adult-use cannabis, planting the seeds for regulated sales.

State regulators prioritised equity in determining licence recipients, reserving many for applicants who had past marijuana-related convictions as well as some non-profits.