In lower Manhattan, the first store in New York City to deliver regulated and pretested marijuana products will open this Thursday.
The shop will offer around a hundred of them, including pre-rolled joints and edible products.
Nearly forty recreational cannabis retail licenses have already been granted by New York State to businesses and nonprofits.
This industry will create many
“opportunities with income directed to our schools and the revitalization of communities
”, welcomed Kathy Hochul, Governor of New York State, a few days ago.
Other stores are expected to open in January.
Repairing the impact of decades of prohibition
As a side effect, shops selling illegal cannabis have abounded since the state legalized marijuana a year ago.
In parts of New York, the smell of weed has become as distinctive as yellow cabs or skyscrapers.
In terms of benefits, the town hall is counting on 1.3 billion dollars (1.2 billion euros) in sales from 2023 and on more than 20,000 jobs created in three years.
With this legal trade, she also intends to repair the impact of decades of marijuana prohibition on the African-American and Hispanic communities.
Access to the first 150 licenses (which will precede full market opening) is restricted to individuals who have been convicted of a cannabis-related offense in New York State.