New York State’s first legal cannabis dispensary opens in Manhattan
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NEW YORK — The non-profit Housing Works in Manhattan became the state’s first legal cannabis dispensary on Thursday.
Housing Works, which provides services to people with HIV/AIDS and homeless people, will make its first sale at 4:20 p.m. It was one out of 36 dispensaries that received licenses from the state.
The state legalized the recreational use of marijuana in March 2021 and issued the first round of licenses to people and people and non-profits on November 21 of this year.
None of the licenses were issued in the Rochester region because of a federal lawsuit that claims New York’s license application process discriminates against people outside the state. The lawsuit affects the Finger Lakes, Central New York, Western New York, the mid-Hudson region, and Brooklyn.
More about cannabis licenses:
- State announces first round of marijuana selling licenses, none issued around Rochester yet (Nov. 21)
- Federal judge blocks cannabis retail licenses in parts of NYS (Nov. 10)
- Applicants awaiting NYS decision on legal marijuana licenses (Oct. 4)
- Rochester couple hoping to land Cannabis Dispensary License (Aug. 25)
- Newly licensed local marijuana processor says people are excited to use topicals, and other forms of cannabis materials (Aug. 23)
- Female business owners look to expand into marijuana business (May 31)
See our series “Cannabis Countdown” about what NYS can expect as dispensaries open:
- Prioritizing social justice
- What legalized marijuana might mean for taxpayers
- Inside a legal dispensary
- Will legal weed slow the illegal market?