Binghamton, N. Y. — Starting Friday, downtown Binghamton will host the first New York state-licensed dispensary selling legal recreational marijuana outside of New York City.
The shop, Just Breathe at 75 Court St., opens at 3 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10. Its opening marks the third for a state-licensed weed shop — the other two are both in Manhattan. Just Breathe will be able to sell products made from cannabis containing the compound THC that is grown and processed in New York state.
More marijuana dispensaries are expected to open around the state in coming weeks, except in regions where they are currently blocked by an injunction stemming from a lawsuit challenging the state’s rules. Regions where shops are currently blocked include Central New York plus the Finger Lakes, the mid-Hudson region, Western New York and Brooklyn.
A license has been awarded to an affiliate of the non-profit agency that runs Loretto nursing home and other facilities in the Syracuse area. No timetable or location for that dispensary have been disclosed. The state Office of Cannabis Management contends non-profits are not covered by the court injunction.
Until Just Breathe opens, the only legal recreational marijuana shops operating in Upstate New York are associated with sovereign Indian nations. There are also legal medical marijuana shops across the state, but customers need a prescription to buy from those businesses.
Recreational use of marijuana was legalized in New York state in April 2021, but the roll out of licensed shops only began in December.
The first shops must meet the requirements of the state’s Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary (CAURD) program. Under CAURD, the first licenses are going only applicants who have had a cannabis conviction themselves, or be the close family member of someone who does. They must also own a business showing a net profit for at least two years. Some licenses are also going to non-profit agencies who serve communities affected by past marijuana convictions.
About 60 potential CAURD licensees across the state have been identified so far, but Just Breathe is only the third to open. The city of Binghamton planning board signed off on the shop this week.
Just Breathe is in a location that has been licensed to sell cannabis products made from hemp, such as those containing CBD, for several years. Just Breathe is operated by local entrepreneur Damien Cornwell and the non-profit Broome County Urban League.
“I am thrilled and honored to bring legal, safe, and locally sourced products to my community,” Cornwell said in a statement released through the office of Gov. Kathy Hochul. “The economic opportunities presented by this business in the form of new jobs and local tax revenue just build on the decades of work we’ve done with the Broome County Urban League to uplift the underserved communities in our area.”
More coverage of cannabis in Central New York
Don Cazentre writes for NYup.com, syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Reach him at [email protected], or follow him at NYup.com, on Twitter or Facebook.
