Matthew Robinson still can’t believe it. “It’s like winning the lottery,” said the 37-year-old African American. A broad smile lit up his face, which is often solemn. This former drug dealer’s life changed a few weeks ago when he learned that he could legally sell cannabis. Since then, everything has been going at breakneck speed.
On this Friday in January, the sun had not yet risen when he left his home in Albany, the capital of the state of New York, for Manhattan. Three hours of driving and a few traffic jams later, he was at Bleecker Street for a training session on the subject. With two phones in hand and a hood on his head, he rushed into the gray premises.
On the sidewalk, 42-year-old Marquis Hayes took a final puff from his vape before joining Robinson. Even though he had exchanged his usual cowboy hat for a black docker’s cap, this chef, wearing a red velvet jacket over an orange T-shirt, did not go unnoticed. He too had just received permission to start his own business after having had to deal with the law in his youth. He came back from the San Juan Islands in Washington state (not far from the Canadian border), where he spends part of the year, to be here. “They give me the keys to do what I know so well without it being illegal this time,” he said.
Delaying the arrival of large companies
The two men are among the first 36 lucky ones – 28 entrepreneurs and eight nonprofits – to receive a provisional license from New York state in late November to sell locally grown, lab-tested weed. This new step comes almost two years after the Democratic state legalized recreational marijuana use for those over 21 in places where smoking is allowed.
The cannabis industry could represent $1.2 billion (€1.1 billion) in sales by 2023 and $4.2 billion four years later. This would make New York state and its 20 million inhabitants the largest legal market for this drug in the United States.
On Bleecker Street, it is the first time that the licensees have met each together. It is an opportunity to connect and chat but also to delve into everything related to the logistics of their future outlets. “A little boring,” said Hayes. “Not uninteresting,” said Robinson.
We are interested in your experience using the site.
All of them (or one of their close family members) have a criminal record related to cannabis. It is even the main criterion that was asked of them. Unlike the 20 or so other states that have legalized marijuana in recent years in the US, New York is the only one to have put “social equity” at the heart of its system.
You have 84.34% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.
Recent Comments