CAURD Reader: Five New Adult-Use Retail Dispensaries Open, Spreading Legal Cannabis Across New York

Welcome to Honeysuckle’s New York Retail Dispensary Round-Up! As the Empire State’s cannabis industry evolves, we’re bringing you weekly updates with information on new store openings, events, and other developments that the public needs to know.

As of October 4, 2023, New York cannabis licenses are available to the general public in the Cultivator, Processor, Distributor, Retailer, and Microbusiness categories. But several entrepreneurs issued the Conditional Adult Use Retail Dispensary (CAURD) license are also newly able to open their stores, despite the continued controversy over the legal injunction against the program. This week, five CAURD retailers celebrate grand openings.

How can you party with your neighborhood dispensary teams? Details are below!

Exterior of Elevate ADK in Saranac Lake; screengrab via ABC News

North Country And Mohawk Valley Gain Retailers In Elevate ADK And Air City Cannabis

Elevate ADK, which opened on Friday, October 13th in Saranac Lake, has the distinction of being the North Country’s first licensed adult-use dispensary. Located at 622 Lake Flower Avenue, the business is situated on a small shopping plaza along Route 86, just a mile and a half from the heart of the village. 

Owner Eli Emery, who has been an organic farming professional in the North Country for many years, had previously been operating Elevate ADK as a delivery-only cannabis business. 

“I’m so excited and grateful to be bringing the North Country’s first licensed recreational dispensary to Saranac Lake,” Emery said in a statement released by the state’s Office of Cannabis Management (OCM). “I look forward to everything we can do at Elevate ADK to offer safe access to a wide variety of New York state cannabis products. Being able to bring this plant and its many benefits to our area in this way is a lifelong dream come true.”

Air City Cannabis, located in Rome, New York, also launched on Friday as a delivery-only business. Situated in the Mohawk Valley, it is the first state-licensed retailer in the area. The brand is owned and operated by Courtney Forester, known for her business I-Candies, a fashion boutique and independent women’s clothing store.

For more information about Elevate ADK, visit elevateadk.com. To learn more about Air City Cannabis, follow @aircitycanna on Instagram.

Jeremy Rivera (center), founder of Terp Bros, stands with CAURD licensees in Kingston, NY, August 2023 (C) Jaime Lubin / Honeysuckle Media, Inc. @jaimelubin

NYC Welcomes TerpBros, Gotham Buds, And CONBUD Dispensaries

This week consumers in the Five Boroughs will enjoy a one-two-three punch of dispensary openings:

TerpBros

On Tuesday, October 17th, TerpBros opens in Astoria, Queens at 3610 Ditmars Boulevard. Owned by Jeremy Rivera, the brand has already built a reputation for its devotion to equity and community benefit. Tuesday’s ceremony will commence with a press conference and ribbon-cutting in the morning, followed by a public opening at 2PM. To commemorate the opening, TerpBros will also unveil a mural painted by world-renowned artist Zaheed Wazed, a Queens-raised multimedia creator known for producing some of the largest murals in New York City. His works have been featured at Arthur Ashe Stadium during the US Open, on Diversity Plaza in Jackson Heights, and Under the Oculus at the World Trade Center among others. 

Rivera stated, “It is a surreal feeling to finally begin providing this wonderful Astoria neighborhood with high-quality, regulated cannabis products. Just a few years ago I would have never imagined I would not only own a cannabis dispensary, but also have the opportunity to support my family and give back to my community through this business… New York’s cannabis industry has yet to fully hit its stride but getting our doors open is certainly a step in the right direction. We look forward to playing a role in helping the market reach its full potential and ensuring that New Yorkers have access to safe and legal cannabis products.”

TerpBros begins its festivities with a press conference at 11AM and a public opening at 2PM. For more information, visit terpbrosnyc.com.

Gotham Buds

On Wednesday, October 18th, Gotham Buds opens in Harlem at 248 West 125th Street, only steps from the iconic Apollo Theater. As reported by the OCM, the New York State Cannabis Social Equity Investment Fund facilitated the build-out of the dispensary pursuant to funding authority established in the state’s Fiscal Year plan. The business is owned by Jeffrey Lopez, Omar Tejeda, Gregory Gray, Brian Jones, and Malika Bellamy. 

Lopez, a Harlem native, said, “It feels like a dream evolved. “This dispensary is more than business – it’s the creation of our legacy in an industry where we’re carving new paths. Being Black + Brown-owned, Woman-owned, and family- owned isn't just a label; it's our pulse… The pride I feel is overwhelming. Harlem isn't just our location—it's our community, our commitment.”

Gotham Buds begins its grand opening festivities at 10AM on Wednesday. For more information, visit gothambudsny.com

CONBUD

On Thursday, October 19th, CONBUD opens in the Lower East Side at 85 Delancey Street. Owned by Coss Marte, founder of the globally-renowned fitness brand CONBODY, CONBUD is a perfect fit into Marte’s plan to address wellness, community, and social reentry simultaneously. Like CONBODY, CONBUD is staffed by formerly incarcerated individuals, and the store will display videos detailing their personal stories with the plant. (Click here for more about Coss’s journey and the brand.)

Marte stated, “As a New Yorker of color who spent years doing time for cannabis offenses, Thursday’s CONBUD grand opening is a celebration of social and poetic justice. I am unbelievably grateful to OCM, New York City, and New York State for making good on their promise to create an equitable cannabis program, ensuring that businesses owned by New York drug war survivors form the bedrock of the State’s industry. CONBUD stands as a symbol of hope and progress, showcasing a vision for a future where consumers and businesses partner to reduce recidivism rates, rebuild lives, and create stronger, more inclusive communities. It’s been one hell of a road to get here, but just like cannabis, we’re here for good.”

CONBUD begins its festivities at 5PM on Thursday. For more information, visit conbud.com.

“From Saranac Lake to Astoria, New York’s cannabis market is growing,” proclaimed Tremaine Wright, Chair of the state’s Cannabis Control Board. “It is wonderful to celebrate store openings across the State. The New York cannabis market is expanding and being led by entrepreneurs who imbue the values of the MRTA [Marijuana Regulation and Tax Act, New York’s Cannabis Law].”

Office Of Cannabis Management’s Roadmap To Adult-Use Tour

The launch of New York’s cannabis license application portals for the general public have been met in many quarters with excitement, though just as many with confusion as well. To make the process more accessible for all licensing hopefuls, the OCM has developed its Roadmap To Adult-Use Tour, which includes several in-person and virtual workshops taking place throughout the state. 

Stay tuned for an inside look at the process, but safe to say the Roadmap To Adult-Use Tour is covering a lot of ground. Kicking off with live workshops in Harlem, Albany, and Westchester last week, the tour’s dates continue through mid-November. That’s just in time for those who need to get their applications in before the December 4th cutoff. 

Scheduled dates for the Roadmap To Adult-Use Tour include:

Tuesday, October 17th: Farmingdale, 6-8PM

CNTR Ballroom A

2350 Broadhollow Road, Farmingdale, NY 11735

Click here to register!

Wednesday, October 18th: Queens, 6-PM

CUNY School of Law

Auditorium

2 Ct Square W, Queens, NY 11101

Click here to register!

Tuesday, October 24th: Virtual, 4:20-6:20PM

Roadmap to AU: Cultivator and Processor Licenses

View on the OCM’s YouTube

Thursday, October 26th: Syracuse, 6-8PM

Syracuse Southwest Community Center

401 S0uth Avenue, Syracuse NY 13204

Click here to register!

Monday, October 30th: Ithaca, 5-7PM

Tompkins County Public Library

101 East Green Street, Ithaca NY 14850

Click here to register!

Wednesday, November 1st: Brooklyn, 6-8PM

Medgar Evers College, CUNY

Dining Room, 2nd floor

1650 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11225

Click here to register!

Wednesday, November 1st: Rochester, 6-8PM

Central Library of Rochester & Monroe County

115 South Ave, Rochester NY 14604

Click here to register!

Thursday, November 2nd: Buffalo, 6-8PM

Northland Workforce Training Center

683 Northland Avenue, Buffalo NY 14211

Click here to register!

Tuesday, November 7th: Virtual, 4:20-6:20PM

Roadmap to AU: Distributor & Retail Licenses

View on the OCM’s YouTube

Wednesday, November 8th: Suffolk County, 6-8PM

Middle Country Library

101 Eastwood Boulevard, Centereach, NY 11720

Click here to register!

Wednesday, November 8th: Newburgh, 6-8PM

Newburgh YouthBuild

245 Liberty Street

Newburgh, NY 12550

Click here to register!

Thursday, November 9th: Utica, 6-7:30PM

Utica Public Library

303 Genesee Street, Utica NY 13501

Click here to register!

Tuesday, November 14th: Schenectady, 6-7:30PM

Schenectady County Public Library

99 Clinton Street

Schenectady, New York 12305

Click here to register!

Wednesday, November 15th: Virtual, 4:20-6:20PM

Roadmap to AU: Microbusiness License

View on the OCM’s YouTube

Thursday, November 16th: Plattsburgh, 6-8PM

Clinton County Mental Health

130 Arizona Ave

Plattsburgh, NY 12903

Click here to register!

What Else Should I Know About New York’s Cannabis Retail Dispensaries?

New York State currently has 27 CAURD licensed cannabis dispensaries open and operating. Click here to visit the OCM’s website for specific information about licenses and regulations. Read below for a list of all CAURD retailers now operating. Remember - if a store's not on this list, it's not legal!

If you have CAURD-related news or other dispensary updates you'd like to share, DM us at @honeysucklemagazine on Instagram or email jaime@honeysucklemag.com.

Housing Works Cannabis, LLC

750 Broadway, New York, NY 10003

hwcannabis.co

Smacked Village

144 Bleecker Street, New York, NY10012

getsmacked.online

Just Breathe

75 Court Street, Binghamton, NY 13901

justbreathelife.org

Union Square Travel Agency

62 E 13th Street, New York, NY10003

unionsquaretravelagency.com

William Jane Corporation

119-121 E State Street, Ithaca, NY 14850

williamjane420.com

Good Grades, LLC

162-03 Jamaica Avenue, Jamaica, NY 11432

goodgradesnyc.com

Upstate Canna Co

1613 Union Street, Schenectady, NY 12309

upstate-canna.co

Dazed

33 Union Sq. W, New York, NY 10003

dazed.fun

Essential Flowers***

Albany, NY

legacydispensers.com

Gotham CAURD LLC

3 E 3rd Street, New York, NY 10003

gotham.nyc

Elevate ADK

622 Lake Flower Avenue, Suite 7, Saranac Lake, NY 12983

elevateadk.com

Social Equity CAURD JV LLC***

Richmond Hill, NY

thecannabisplace.org

Stage One Cannabis LLC

810C Broadway, Rensselaer, NY 12144

stageonedispensary.com

Flynnstoned Corporation

219 Walton Street, Syracuse, NY 13202

flynnstoned.com

Half Island Flavors LLC***

Bronx, NY

myseshnyc.com

Greenery Spot LLC

246 Main Street, Johnson City, NY 13790

greeneryspot.com

Royal Leaf NY LLC (Statis)

817 E Tremont Avenue, Bronx, NY10460

statiscannabis.com

Strain Stars LLC

1815 Broadhollow Road, Farmingdale, NY 11735

strainstarsny.com

Exscape INC (Sacred Bloom)

1308 Vestal Pkwy E, 1st Floor, Set D, Vestal, NY 13850

sacred-bloom.com

Dank 716 LLC

501 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14203

716dank.com

Herbal IQ

6055 Transit Road, Depew, NY 14043

herbaliq.org

EK Green LLC (dba Canterra)***

Tonawanda, NY 14150

canterra.co

Dosha Farms

76 Main Street, Oneonta, NY 13820

doshafarms.com

Air City Cannabis LLC***

Rome, NY

@aircitycanna

Kush Culture Industry LLC (TerpBros)

3610 Ditmars Boulevard, Astoria, NY 11105

terpbrosnyc.com

Find Out More On Social

Instagram

@nys_cannabis

@tremaine4ny

@elevate_adk

@aircitycanna

@gothambuds

@jeffreylopez.realtor

@cossmarte

@conbudny

@syrettas_world_of_body

@thatboysofharlem

@terpbros.nyc

@jaimelubin

Twitter

@nys_cannabis

@tremaine4ny

@TerpBros

@conbudny

@jaimelubin

LinkedIn

Office of Cannabis Management

Tremaine Wright

Jeremy Rivera

Gotham Buds

CONBUD

Coss Marte

Junior Martinez

Jaime Lubin

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Featured image: CONBUD owner Coss Marte (center) with team members Syretta Wright (left), and Junior Martinez (right) in their CONBUD apparel (C) CONBUD