Dope to your door: New York issues guidance allowing marijuana deliveries by bike, scooter, or car

Crystal Cranmore Image
Sunday, December 11, 2022
New Yorkers will soon be able to get marijuana delivered to their door
Retail cannabis licensees in New York can now apply to sell marijuana online or over the phone and deliver it to customers' doorsteps. Crystal Cranmore has the story.

NEW YORK (WABC) -- The New York State Office of Cannabis Management announced guidance Friday that will allow licensees to deliver marijuana by bicycle, scooter, and vehicles.

"Our statute contemplates that those operating retails will already have some delivery component to their busines and so we're just giving them a little jumpstart, Executive Director Chris Alexander said.

The guidance will allow retail licensees to secure a warehouse to fulfill online or over-the-phone delivery orders while they build permanent dispensary locations for up to one year.

On Friday, The Bronx Community Foundation showed off the Bronx Dispensary Showroom which the organization created to provide resources and education about the industry to license applicants.

"This is critical because many individuals who will be entering this market have never seen a dispensary in full operation," President and CEO, Meisha Porter, said.

There was no marijuana was on site, but the space was full of enthusiastic future businessmen and women.

"It teaches you. I've never owned a dispensary, I've never ran a dispensary. Most people in New York have never owed or ran a dispensary. So this can actually show you, this is what your dispensary should look like, this is how it should operate, this is what you need to be prepared for," provisional licensee Matthew Robinson said.

Marijuana prohibition in New York swept mostly Blacks and Latinos into the criminal justice system. The impact has been most harmful in communities like the Bronx.

"While we are healing we must learn and capitalize on this moment," Deputy Bronx Borough President Janet Peguero said.

Last month, officials approved 36 businesses and nonprofits for licenses to operate the first retail dispensaries in the state.

The showroom is open to the public until December 11.

Officials expect consumers to be able to purchase marijuana for delivery before the end of the year.

ALSO READ | 7 On Your Side: Retirees stranded after extended warranty woes

7 On Your Side's Nina Pineda helps a Long Island couple resolve a months-long warranty runaround after the engine of their truck is destroyed.

----------

* Get Eyewitness News Delivered

* More New York City news

* Send us a news tip

* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts

* Follow us on YouTube

Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News

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