Recreational marijuana: 1st legal weed dispensary in New York opens in the city Thursday at 4:20 p.m.

GREENWICH VILLAGE, Manhattan (WABC) — Buying weed will officially become legal in New York state on Thursday, with the first dispensary in New York City also set to make its first sale.

These first pot sales will be at Housing Works Cannabis Company in Greenwich Village. The dispensary will open on Thursday.

Housing Works is a nonprofit organization that supports formerly incarcerated New Yorkers. It is also the largest minority-controlled HIV/AIDS service organization. They operate everything from thrift stores to bookstores to support their mission.

The invitation to a nonprofit that supports marginalized groups is all part of the state’s Seeding Opportunity Initiative.

All of this is an effort to begin to heal the damage done by incarcerating people with marijuana-related convictions. First, New York decriminalized weed, then legalized it. But many people believe that the repairs are not done yet.

By involving nonprofits like Housing Works in selling the weed and local farmers in the production, the state hopes to make the industry as fair as possible.

Regardless of the parity, it is clear that the sale of legal cannabis in New York State will be a success.

A worker at the Housing Works Cannabis Company, Sasha Nutgent, said ahead of their launch: “It’s incredibly exciting and shocking because we’re closing. But we’re opening on time.”

And demand is high for their grand opening.

“We have an RSVP list that won’t stop growing,” Nutgent said.

The first official sale will take place on Thursday, at 11:45 a.m., following a press conference attended by the Executive Director of the Office of Cannabis Management, Chris Alexander.

Conveniently, the public sale will not begin until 4:20 p.m

The dispensary is located at 750 Broadway in the Astor Place neighborhood and on Thursday will serve customers until 7:10 p.m. Moving forward, Housing Works Cannabis Co.’s hours. will be from 11:00 to 19:00 every day.

All proceeds from their sales will go to their parent organization, which was founded in 1990 to address HIV/AIDS and homelessness.

To date, the New York State Cannabis Control Board has approved 36 additional adult conditional use licenses for retail sale. In the following months, the state is expected to issue another 139.

Although recreational weed was legalized in the state in 2021, legal sales have not been allowed until now. Illegal vendors have been operating for many months across the city and across the state.

What you need to know before buying legal weed in NY:

If you plan to buy from Housing Works Cannabis Co. in the following days, they are currently a cash-only business.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

———-

* Get eyewitness news

* More news from Manhattan

* Send us a news tip

* Download the abc7NY app for the latest news

* Follow us on YouTube

Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News

Got a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Witness News using the form below. If you attach a video or photo, terms of use apply.