New York Legal Marijuana Sales To Kick Off Before New Year

Nearly 2 years after being legalized, the government regulated sales of marijuana are set to begin next week.

When marijuana was legalized back in the spring of 2021, the next big following question was when dispensaries would begin sales. As you can imagine the process of setting up regulations for the legal public sale of the recreational drug has taken some time

New York's first legal dispensary located at 750 Broadway in Manhattan is slated to begin operations next Thursday, December 29th according to a Spectrum News report. The state had set a target of the end of 2022 for the first dispensary to open.

The NYC dispensary is called Housing Works Cannabis Co. and is being run by a non-profit called Housing Works that "...advocates and provides services for people without housing, as well as people living with HIV and AIDS..." according to the Spectrum story. 8 non-profits received dispensary licenses last month from the New York state control board.

So when will Upstate possibly see its first dispensary up and running? 28 other licenses were issued last month for businesses to start legal sales, but Spectrum says several of those are currently being held up amid various legal actions.

Plus, there is a chance you may never see legal sales where you live. Late last year several cities and towns opted out of the legal sale of the drug, which you can see below.