In December, the state announced it had signed the first lease for a legal marijuana dispensary at a vacant storefront on 125th Street in Harlem.
In keeping with the program’s social equity goals, the idea was to build out the dispensary and turn the keys over to one of the state’s first licensed operators — individuals who were impacted by a past marijuana conviction.
The problem was, the community didn’t get the message. And two months later, the project appears to be mired in uncertainty.
What You Need To Know
- In December, the state announced it had signed the first lease for a legal marijuana dispensary at a vacant storefront on 125th Street in Harlem
- The plan was met with a fierce backlash from elected officials and community leaders who said they were not consulted
- Opponents fear the dispensary could exacerbate existing quality of life issues on 125th Street including drug use and crime
- While the dispensary’s rollout appears to be on pause, state officials say they’re working to identify a licensed operator
“I do not believe that they would go into any other community and choose a site without having a dialogue with the local electeds,” said Harlem state Assemblymember Inez Dickens, who is now running for City Council. “It wouldn’t be allowed, and we’re not going to allow that here.”
The planned dispensary is across the street from the historic Apollo Theater, on a busy stretch of 125th Street that has been plagued with quality of issues in recent years, including drug use and crime.
Within days, the 125th Street Business Improvement District sent a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul urging her to reconsider the location, writing: “This dispensary will not only derail the progress that we have made, it will also set us back in several areas.”
The Dormitory Authority of the State of New York, or DASNY, is the state agency responsible for identifying dispensary locations and building them out. Officials there contend the 125th Street dispensary will have a positive impact, potentially reducing crime and injecting the area with new economic activity.
“We want to be a great partner on 125th Street and bring a clientele to the street that may or may not be walking up and down the street now,” Reuben McDaniel, president and CEO of DASNY, said at a recent public hearing convened by Community Board 10.
But many business owners and residents fear the dispensary will have unintended consequences.
“We were blindsided,” said Bob Derek, the general manager at Lazarus, a children’s clothing store one store down from the planned dispensary. “I totally oppose them coming to the neighborhood.”
“We’ve got kids going past here all day long,” said resident Kevin Watson. “The worst thing we want to do is have these young kids find a way to get some weed out of these smoke shops.”
A change.org petition opposing the dispensary has attracted close to 800 signatures, and public speakers at a recent community board meeting voiced numerous concerns.
For now, the dispensary’s rollout appears to be on pause, despite the lease having been signed more than two months ago.
No licensed operator has been identified to operate the store, but the state’s Office of Cannabis Management says it’s soliciting interest, and officials seem to believe the plan will eventually win over the naysayers.
“What we’ve seen in every other city that’s legalized cannabis is that there is that initial hesitation about where these businesses are located, and what they’re going to do and what it means for the community,” Damian Fagon, chief equity officer at the state Office of Cannabis Management, said at the public hearing. “But over time, that stigma does fade.”
