NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams celebrated the opening of Matawana Dispensary, the first Black woman-owned legal cannabis dispensary in Brooklyn. Building on an announcement in his State of the City address last month, Mayor Adams recommitted to supporting the equitable growth of the legal cannabis market and ensuring justice-impacted individuals are not undermined through an illegal market by working with Albany to grant local authorities the power to inspect and shutdown illegal smoke shops.
Mayor Adams said tha For too long, Black and Brown communities have faced high rates of drug-related incarceration and have been denied opportunities to build wealth. As we close out Black History Month, New York City is taking steps to right the wrongs of the past by supporting equitable growth in the legal cannabis industry.
”It it’s not enough to support the opening of new legal cannabis shops — we must also close down the illegal operators that threaten the success of legal shops and put the safety of our communities at risk. We have been clear in our call to state lawmakers to give us the power to shut down illegal smoke shops, and we will continue to work with Governor Hochul and all our partners in Albany who are fighting to give us this authority”, Mayor added.
“I am encouraged to see the quickening pace of legal retail dispensary openings in the city and thank our colleagues at Cannabis NYC and the Office of Cannabis Management for all that they are doing to support the growth of the local market,” said Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce Maria Torres-Springer. “To fulfill our promise to trailblazers like Leeann and to the communities most impacted by drug-related criminalization policies of the past, we have to pursue two priorities in tandem — developing services and supports for cannabis entrepreneurs and businesses while working with the state to close down illegal operators.”
“As a Brooklyn native who left New York due to denied access to medical cannabis, this is a full-circle moment,” saidCannabis NYC Founding Director Dasheeda Dawson. “Not only do I have the honor of leading the city’s efforts in developing an equitable, sustainable legal cannabis industry, but we are bearing witness to history with the first Black, woman-owned cannabis dispensary opening in my home borough. This opening reflects the Adams administration’s commitment to building economic opportunity in communities most impacted by prohibition-era policies, transitioning legacy to legal, and becoming the ‘City of Yes’ for the multibillion-dollar global cannabis industry.”
“The Sheriff’s Office will continue to work with our partner agencies at the direction of Mayor Adams to conduct inspections of unlicensed smoke shops so the legal market can thrive,” said New York City Sheriff Anthony Miranda. “The New York City Sheriff’s Office Joint Compliance Task Force to Address Illegal Smoke Shops has seized over $29 million in illicit products that were being sold in illegal shops in close reach of our children and houses of worship, and found 92 percent of the locations inspected to be in violation of the law. As we protect our children and families from these unregulated products, we encourage those that do participate in this market to shop at a licensed location where the products are regulated and safe.”
“I’m proud of Matawana Dispensary, not just as an emerging small business, but as a symbol of equity in New York City’s legal cannabis industry,” saidNew York City Department of Small Businesses Commissioner Kevin D. Kim. “Businesses like this propel New York City as the global capital for legal cannabis and boost our city’s overall economic resilience.”
“Draconian prohibition laws cost my family almost everything, but the plant itself is a healing herb,” said Matawana Dispensary Founder Leeann Mata. “When it became legal, I used it to treat my anxiety and created formulations that helped my mother with pain and helped her conquer an opioid addiction. I have been able to support elders with homemade CBD creams.”
