New York City has opened Thursday the first legal recreational marijuana retail store in the East Village neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan.
The store opened at 4:20 p.m. (local time) and will be allowed to sell cannabis to adults over the age of 21.
New York Governor Kathleen Hochul celebrated the opening: «This is a historic milestone for New York’s budding cannabis industry, and I look forward to cementing our state as a national model for building an industry that is equitable and inclusive,» she shared in a message on Twitter.
The store is operated by Housing Works, a nonprofit organization that serves HIV and AIDS patients, the homeless and former inmates. The store is open every day of the week and the proceeds will go to Housing Works, which runs a «network of charity stores,» as reported by CNN.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement that the legal cannabis market «has the potential to be a major boost to New York’s economic recovery» in order to «create new jobs, build wealth in historically underserved communities and increase state and local tax revenues.»
Former city Governor Andrew Como passed the law in 2021 allowing the purchase of recreational marijuana statewide from licensed sellers by those 21 and older, following approval by the state Senate and Assembly.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
