Credit: CC0 . Public Domain
New York’s first legal recreational marijuana dispensary opened Thursday in midtown Manhattan.
More than 100 people packed into the dispensary in New York City’s East Village, run by the nonprofit Housing Works, a group dedicated to fighting homelessness and AIDS.
Governor Kathy Hochul, who oversees the fourth most populous US state, said: “The first legal adult sale of cannabis marks a historic milestone in the New York cannabis industry. York.
Hochul said in a statement that she hopes New York will serve “as a national model for the safe, fair and inclusive industry we are currently building.”
Ex-felons get their first license
Housing Works is one of the first 36 collectives or individuals to be granted a retail certificate marijuana license on 11/21.
New York’s stated goal is to issue the first 150 licenses to traffickers convicted in the past for possessing or selling marijuana.
The goal is to correct what Hochul describes as the unfair and disproportionate impact of decades of marijuana prohibition, which has affected African-American and Hispanic communities.
Tax revenue from cannabis dispensaries will “be invested in communities across the state to support public schools, addiction services, mental health serviceshousing and other community-based programs,” her statement said.
Housing Works Cannabis Distribution is in a prime location—on Broadway Avenue, just north of Astor Place.
Inside the store, speaking to reporters, New York state senator Liz Krueger said she hopes the expansion of legal marijuana dispensaries will help “those most affected by the policies.” the criminalization of marijuana has failed in the past.”
‘A real boon’
Even tough Mayor Eric Adams, a former police officer, nodded in favor of the economic benefits of dispensaries, saying that “the legal cannabis market can be a real boon to the rehabilitation of the people.” New York’s economic recovery… through increased tax revenue.”
In a festive atmosphere at the store, Charles King, founder of Housing Works, said he was “eager to reinvest profits to provide essential services to tens of thousands of New Yorkers in need”.
Manhattan District President Mark Levine attended the opening and decided to buy cannabis products — including jelly seeds.
For more than a year, it’s been legal for adults over the age of 21 to consume marijuana in New York state, and in the state’s flagship city, the smell of marijuana fills the streets of Manhattan and Brooklyn.
City Hall projects $1.3 billion in revenue in 2023 and 19,000 to 24,000 new jobs over three years.
© 2022 AFP
quote: First legal recreational marijuana store to open in New York City (2022, December 30) accessed December 30, 2022 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-12-legal -recreational-marijuana-york-city.html
This document is the subject for the collection of authors. Other than any fair dealing for private learning or research purposes, no part may be reproduced without written permission. The content provided is for informational purposes only.
