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Legal recreational weed is finally budding in the Bronx — along with hope that soon-to-sprout jobs and tax revenue aren’t just a pipe dream.
State officials Thursday held a ribbon-cutting at the borough’s first “pop-up” dispensary, Statis Cannabis Co., the seventh legal dispensary to open in New York City.
The store owners are Angel Turuseta, 50 — jailed for two years after being busted with a pound of weed in 2004 — and Emely Chavez, a fifth-grade teacher in North Bergen, NJ.
Turuseta got the license to legally sell bud as part of the state’s social equity program, and his business is bolstered by the state’s public-private cannabis equity fund.
The store — selling vapes, cartridges, edibles and flower — opened to the public exactly at 4:20 p.m.- a nod to the unofficial hazy stoner holiday April 20.
Chavez made an inaugural purchase for the cameras — a purple bag of Pillow Talk-branded melatonin THC gummies — as guests munched on fried chicken and mozzarella tomato basil skewers while sipping lemonade as a live DJ served up music.
Statis Cannabis Co. co-owner Emely Chavez blows out a candle on a cake to celebrate the opening of Statis Cannabis Co., the first Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary in the Bronx.James Keivom
About 60 attendees were greeted by a sign from the New York-based cannabis brand Dank by Definition.
The message, of course, was “Dank You.”
The store will be open on a short-term basis to fast-track sales that will pay for final construction, officials said.
It felt “great” to legally sell cannabis, said Turuseta.
Co-owner Angel Turuseta, right, made the inaugural sale of THC melatonin edibles to Chavez.James Keivom
“I’m surprised. They’ll usually be so petty for any little thing. Like they’ll arrest you for a little joint, a clip, $5 bags, $10 bags.”
Turuseta said of the state’s nearly century-long marijuana prohibition.
“We’re very excited. We would never ever in our wildest dreams think this would happen,” added his wife Mariel Turuseta, 42, a hospital finance employee.
“Who would have thought that something he did years ago would culminate to this? Like having a store and being the person who runs the dispensary. It’s great,” she said.
The cannabis products for sale had been approved by state regulators.James Keivom
Roger Spruiell, a 33-year-old esthetician from the neighborhood, said he’s been patiently waiting for the opening.
“The only thing we have are smoke shops but we don’t really have a dispensary so I couldn’t really get everything like gummies” Spruiell said.
“I’m not really a smoker so edibles [are] more my thing. So that’s what I’m looking to get,” he said.
Spruiell also laments that weed users once had to serve time for marijuana possession — and supports the state’s prioritizing of ex-cons like Angel.
They include edibles, tinctures, vapes and flower and can be sold legally to anyone over the age of 21.James Keivom
Spruiell also laments that weed users would have to serve time for marijuana possession — and supports the state’s prioritizing of ex-cons like Angel.
“That’s crazy…. Just for marijuana, which is legal now, and everybody is doing it. So I’m glad they are doing that because it balances it out now,” Spruiell said.
The launch came amid criticism of the state for its slow rollout of the recreational program.
Only 16 cannabis dispensaries and delivery services have opened statewide since the state legalized recreational use of the plant in 2021.
Although the Bronx now has a legal dispensary, Brooklyn, Staten Island, Long Island and Western New York remain without one.James Keivom
Brooklyn and Staten Island still lack a regulated dispensary, as do big chunks of New York state, like Long Island and Western New York.
The state had projected it’ll earn $56 million in tax revenue from cannabis sales in 2023 — not much more than the $42 million the lightly populated state of Montana reportedly added to its coffers in its first year of legal sales.
The burgeoning recreational cannabis program generated only $1.2 million in revenue for Albany for the fiscal year ending March 31, while the longer-established medical marijuana program generated $11 million, according to the state’s tax department.
Officials acknowledged the program’s slow start but said they were more concerned with creating a sustainable and equitable program than short-term profits.
Regulated cannabis products were on display behind glass cases during the opening of the dispensary.James Keivom
They did not immediately respond to a request from The Post about how much tax revenue would be earned from Statis Cannabis Co., or if they were on pace to meet projections.
“There’s going to be dedicated revenue that’ll make up for any lost time at this moment in time. So the money is coming. It’s not a momentary guarantee, it’s a true commitment,” said New York Office of Cannabis Management executive director Chris Alexander.
“There’s not been a state that’s driven their industry to life with this level of commitment to the formation of community businesses. But we’re learning. We’re getting better. As you can see if you’re paying attention, you know the openings of these dispensaries is coming at a faster clip.” Alexander said.
“We’ve got a ton more dispensaries to open,” he added.
New York State projects legal dispensaries will earn $56 million in tax revenue from cannabis sales in 2023.James Keivom
“I think you really have to look at other states to appreciate what New York has and continues to do,” said Dormitory Authority of the State of New York CEO Reuben McDaniel III, who helps the state find dispensary locations.
“There are a lot of states who think social equity is important. None of them have invested in it like the state of New York has. A lot of states who believe that social equity applicants should get licenses rather prioritize those licenses in a way that’s actionable.” McDaniel said.
The new weed store was also praised as a much-needed generator of economic activity in an area where some 36% of residents live below the poverty line, according to a 2021 census analysis.
“The cannabis business is going to be a big economic boom for this area of the Bronx,” said Democrat state Sen. Luis Sep?lveda.
New York Office of Cannabis Management executive director Chris Alexander said, “There’s going to be dedicated revenue that’ll make up for any lost time at this moment in time. So the money is coming.”James Keivom
“This is one of the poorest if not the poorest community in the entire state. Businesses like this bring jobs.”
The state announced last month it had begun to crackdown on the thousands of New York City stores selling unregulated cannabis that had devalued products of licensed sellers.