Recreational marijuana shop opening in Ithaca

Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office on Wednesday announced that William Jane will open at 4:20 p.m. on Thursday, March 16, at 119-121 East State Street in Ithaca.

The shop is the first conditional adult-use retail dispensary in upstate owned by an entrepreneur previously criminalized by cannabis prohibition.

Hochul’s office said the opening helps advance New York’s goals of equity in cannabis licensing that prioritizes providing licenses to justice-impacted individuals, who are people with a cannabis conviction or a close relative of someone with one.

According to a news release, the Ithaca dispensary will be owned and operated by William Durham. A Brooklyn native who has spent most of his life in Binghamton, Durham is stepping into New York’s cannabis market with a variety of experience in retail, construction, and property investment.

The location is supported by the state Social Equity Cannabis Investment Fund and will open as “pop-up.” As with some other initial dispensaries to be supported by the fund, this will provide licensees the opportunity to open on a short-term basis to fast-track sales and start generating capital for their businesses, after which they will close for final construction and then re-open on a long-term basis.

The pop-up program is designed to give the operator initial training opportunities before opening full-time. It will benefit all businesses involved in the cannabis supply chain, the state  said, from farmers who have cannabis ready for distribution, to processors who are making cannabis into other types of products. Distributors and retail operators work from there to provide for consumers who are seeking access to safer products they can trust.

“With the opening of William Jane in Ithaca, we’re continuing to build an adult-use cannabis industry in our state that works to offset the harms caused by disproportionate arrests made during cannabis prohibition,” Hochul said in a statement. “As more dispensaries like this open across New York State, consumers now have the option to buy legal, safer products while also reinvesting in their communities.”

“Thank you for working with our community on this first licensed dispensary in the City of Ithaca,” Ithaca Mayor Laura Lewis said. “We are excited to be among the early adopters of this new driver for equitable economic development. We also appreciate the commitment of New York State to promote an inclusive approach to the regulated cannabis industry and to ensure the safety of consumers and the opportunity for local business owners.”