Cannabis shop faces obstacles at every turn as it tries to open
Local Entrepreneur Struggles Amid Licensing Delays in New York's Cannabis Industry.
Meet Brandon Blount. For the past several months he’s been working to secure an “adult dispensary license” which would allow him to sell marijuana out of his store Black River Supply Co. in West Carthage. It’s temporarily closed but before that, he was limited to selling smoking accessories and CBD products.
He says he’s losing money every day.
“I’ve spent a ton of money on this business. It’s not just my money it’s my time investment. That all goes out the window if we don’t get licensed,” said Blount.
What’s the hold-up? Blount points to what he believes is mismanagement at the state’s Office of Cannabis Management.
For example, in November the state switched from a queue system to a lottery for evaluating potential stores. That knocked Blount from being 217th in line to 1738th to be looked at.
“My heart sank, honestly,” said Blount.
Adding insult to injury, unlicensed pot shops. Numerous have cropped up despite the state’s best efforts to crack down.
Blount says he fears they give legal dispensaries like the one he’s hoping to open a bad name.
“They can’t tell you or they’re not going to tell you where it’s coming from. You don’t know where that’s coming from,” said Blount.
Certification or not, Blount will be reopening the store on June 13th. If he can’t sell cannabis, he’ll have to rely on the loyalty of customers to keep the business afloat.
“They still want the cannabis products and I can’t provide that, but they also know that we’re trying to be here for the long haul. We’re trying to make this work and we’re going to be here as long as they can,” said Blount.
Without a license, Blount says he’s not sure if he’ll be able to make it through the year.
Recently Governor Hochul pledged to reform and speed up the licensing process.
