Rodney Carter Jr. and his brother Brandon Carter can finally exhale.
Their dispensary, Trends Cannabis Dispensary, has finally opened in the Queens neighborhood of Long Island City.
They told Spectrum News NY1 that obtaining the coveted license to sell marijuana in New York was a long and complicated process.
Rodney Carter Jr. said, “We finally received the application. It took us six months to receive the application. Once we received the application, we decided on a location for the race and found an investor.” .
The dispensary is 6,000 square feet filled with colorful cannabis products. Its walls tell stories about marijuana.
During the rollout of New York's cannabis program, state officials have promised to prioritize New Yorkers with prior arrests or convictions.
Rodney Carter Jr., Brandon Carter, and their father, Rodney Carter Sr., have previous arrests for marijuana. This didn't sit well with some Long Island City residents.
“There were actually some protesters at the community board. They were a few young African-American people who came to make space in the community because we live here. We heard it's our black brothers. And they were against it, so we had to rally against it. The community is participating,” Brandon Carter said.
The Carter brothers persevered, and now the entrepreneurs are poised to cash in on the Queens weed market.
But Harold Baines isn't quite there yet.
Baines told Spectrum News NY1 that he invested more than $100,000 into his marijuana delivery business, but was told by the state Office of Cannabis Control (OCM) that the original location was 15 feet too close to the school.
he He said he was also informed that the state would suspend licenses for exclusive distribution cannabis sites.
Instead, Baines will now have to build a full retail store elsewhere, at a cost of nearly $1 million.
“I'm devastated. I put myself in a financial situation where I had people relying on me. I spent a lot of money, my family's money. And to be honest, I'm scared right now. OCM will help us, or when they help us,” Baines said.
The Carter brothers said they hear horror stories all the time about OCM and the licensing process, but they encourage investors to keep their faith.
“Keep going. Keep trucking. Keep pushing. There's light at the end of the tunnel,” Brandon Carter said.
After numerous complaints, Gov. Cathy Hochul announced last week that the state Cannabis Control Commission is speeding up its review process. So far this year, 403 licenses have been approved.
