A wave of new approvals is expected to change the cannabis landscape

WEST SENECA, NY — Green Philosophy 716 is a state-licensed hemp retail store in West Seneca.

President and double board-certified physician Dr. Jackie Schneider said she became interested in cannabis because it helped her husband deal with post-traumatic stress disorder when traditional Western medicine failed.

“We kind of said, ‘How can we get into this space? Because it’s helped us and it’s helped others, so let’s help Western New York,'” Schneider said.

She said the goal was always to become a fully adult-oriented retail cannabis dispensary. Schneider said they applied to the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) in October, but have been preparing for about two years.

“I was really scared,” she said. “We have been paying rent for a long time and I was afraid we would never reach the finish line because of our lottery number and the queue.”

On Friday, OCM moved forward with a flurry of approvals, including Green Philosophy’s application. Aaron Van Camp, owner of Western New York’s first dispensary, said it’s good for the industry.

“It’s going to bring a better product to market,” he said. “It’s going to allow people to have more access and a lot of people need licenses.”

Van Camp, who has a conditional license, said he is exploring opportunities to expand his brand with several of the new licensees, including Greenside Cannabis and an unnamed partner planning to open in Amherst. He said his company, Dank, would lend its name and retail model, similar to franchise-style models used by some upstate dispensaries.

“We hope that Dank will appear more not only in this region, but also throughout the state, in the near future, through partnerships and through things that we have done interacting with the community,” he said. he declares.

Schneider said that while the wait has been frustrating, she thinks there are benefits to the way the state has set up the industry to allow small businesses access to the market.

“If we were in Florida or if we were really, honestly, in any other state, people like me and people like those who are open in New York, they would never be able to access that market,” he said. she declared.

Schneider said Green Philosophy is essentially ready to transition to a cannabis dispensary, but plans to make some safety improvements and needs a state inspection before be able to get started.