Cannabis lifestyle brand CannaCulture NYC is now open at 118 St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue. (H/T Steven!)
We don't know too much about the business model at the moment.
Meanwhile, last Thursday, the state's Office of Cannabis Management State regulators sent cease-and-desist letters to "52 unlicensed merchants who are illegally peddling marijuana ... before New York has even issued licenses to sell cannabis," as the Post reported.
Among the local merchants who received letters: The Empire Cannabis Club on Allen Street ... as well as the uptown locations of Paint Puff 'N' Peace, which also has an outpost on Second Avenue near St. Mark's Place. Read more at Gothamist here.
As for 118 St. Mark's Place, this space was previously home to St. Dymphna's, which closed in October 2018 after 24 years in business. The tavern later reopened at 117 Avenue A.
When is the Ninth Precinct going to cease-and-desist the various emboldened pot dealers who now feel free to deal openly on the street? 11th Street between A and B has turned into a drug- and dealer-ridden shitshow, with block residents several times being literally assaulted by the sellers when they dare to complain, or having their apartment windows targeted by M-80s this past Fourth. Anyone in a position of power care?
ReplyDeleteThe above comment is ironic if you remember that that stretch of 11th was once known for two warring gangs of heroin dealers. NY invited this situation, though, by legalizing without having the licensing scheme for sales set up (!!!).
ReplyDeleteFor those who’ve lived in the EV since the 80’s, remember when 9th bet A and 1st was where you’d score a dime bag of weed, 11th bet 2nd and 3rd was filled with hookers and the LES was only there for scoring heroin… cue Barbra Streisand “Memories” 🎶
ReplyDeleteI remember all mentioned. And the neighborhood was more peaceful at that time, even with all of these shenanigans. Or maybe I’m just remembering it that way because back then I was part of the problem.
DeleteOh no those dangerous pot dealers! Everybody look out for the pot dealers!
ReplyDeleteThe NYS pot market is such a mess. License and regulate this shit already. All the other states are light years ahead with their legalization rollouts. NYS and especially NYC seem content with their third world weed bazaar.
ReplyDelete9th bet A and 1st was the best. Beautiful little bags of bright green stuff called Sinsemilla. So new, and such a luxury back then.
ReplyDeletePot was so much more fun when it was illegal.
Thanks, @Sarah and @Anon. 1:51, I remember all of those things and a lot more. And @seedyfilmz, we are not talking about the low-key pot dealers of the 80s here, these are young thugs who think nothing of assaulting an 80 year old man with cancer, sending him to the hospital with a head wound, because he complained about them hanging out in front of his building. They hit another guy from behind because they thought he was ratting them out to the cops, and he was the one whose windows were targeted by M-80s. A lot of the older residents on the block are afraid of them, and they know it. They make the bodega owners' lives hell because they hang out in front of it daily and nightly, scaring away customers, but the lovely family that runs the place are too scared to confront them. Still sound like a situation to mock to you?
ReplyDeleteWell, yes, and no. The neighborhood 35 to 40 years ago was much more anarchic than now. Which left room for plenty of peace. And plenty of drug-crime related open violence. 11th Street has a long history of being staked out by drug gangs. I lived on 11th a couple of doors east of B in late '80's early '90's and it was crack then. The proprietor of the pizza parlor on 11th and B gave up in sadness, proclaiming to the 12-year old dealers all decked in their company's brightly colored jammies he couldn't stand watching them ruining their own lives. Good herb smoke was plentiful and relatively inexpensive. But the hard drugs, which long-time neighbors told me ruined the zone starting back in the '60's, kept gunplay ever present. So, yes, I remember getting altered and hanging out in T2 park with loads of wildly wonderful creative people. I also remember sitting outside of Life on 10th and B on a Sunday at 3PM and witnessing an 18 year girl put two into the head of a guy in the middle of the intersection, watching Dinkins' TNT cop squads decked out in flak vests and machine guns jogging up and down B fighting against what children know. The current cannabis situation is the leftover legacy of the now disgraced and disappeared closet Republican Cuomo's stalling out on legalization for so long. Without that political stupidity you wouldn't have pushers doing violence on 11th Street yet still today.
ReplyDeleteJust like Porn shops the purveyors of adult recreation products should operate in designated areas and abide by certain rules like other legit biz. It's been and being done on a national and global level..As far as what once took place on the streets of certain neighborhoods
ReplyDeleteThat was then when residential and commercial spaces were affordable. The Powers that be were not concerned with the quality of life in the EV..