5 new weed shops approved for Staten Island

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — An additional 212 Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary (CAURD) licenses were awarded across New York state — including five for Staten Island — this week.

The state Office of Cannabis Management’s (OCM) Cannabis Control Board announced Wednesday that there are now 11 CAURD licenses for Staten Island weed shops.

“The provisional approval of today’s 212 CAURD licenses by the Cannabis Control Board marks a momentous leap forward in our pursuit of an inclusive and fair cannabis industry. These licensees are demonstrative of the innovation and diversity of New York state,” said Tremaine Wright, chair of the Cannabis Control Board. “We want to thank Governor Hochul for her steadfast support as New York forges ahead in expanding its cannabis market and fulfilling our social equity objectives.”

While there are at least two locations in the works for Staten Island, no legal weed shops have yet opened in the borough. However, one CAURD license holder plans to open in Charleston in September, and at least one other CAURD license holder plans to launch a weed delivery service soon.

Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary (CAURD) licenses dictate that dispensaries must be owned by equity-entrepreneurs with a prior cannabis-related criminal offense, who also have a background owning and operating a small business.

The CAURD licenses are a major part of the state’s Seeding Opportunity Initiative, which ensures the first legal adult-use retail dispensaries will be operated by individuals who have been the most impacted by the prohibition on weed.

According to OCM, the five new Staten Island licenses were granted to:

• The Weed Shoppe INC. — License holders: Fatmir Ameti and Leonard Manning. For two years Ameti owned and operated a barber shop.
• CBD 40 LLC. — License holder: Arthur A. Carlson, who owned and operated a licensed home improvement/contracting business.
• DAD DISTRIBUTORS — License holder: Domenick DiCostanzo, who owns and operates a New Jersey-based distributor of cookies, crackers and breads to dozens of retail locations.
• David L. Sutherland — License holder: David L. Sutherland owns and operates Cut Masters, a barber shop.
• The Cable Guys — License holder: Jerry Vaiana, who owns and operates The Cable Guys, an ESI telephone system reseller and Honeywell camera system reseller.

The recent round of CAURD licenses granted include 117 more provisional licenses in NYC. In addition to the five for Staten Island, the following is a breakdown for NYC: Bronx, 9; Brooklyn, 44; Manhattan, 46; Queens, 13, with the remainder of the 212 across the state.

While there have been 463 CAURD licenses authorized for recreational weed shops across New York City, there are only nine open at this time.

RETAIL AND WEED

Aside from the cost and capital needed to lease or purchase, and/or build out a retail location, finding property that’s in compliance with municipality zoning laws and state regulations can be the biggest obstacle for weed owners once they have obtained a license.

Required by New York state law, weed dispensaries must be at least 200 feet from a house of worship and at least 500 feet from a school, playground or daycare, and must take into consideration if the surrounding area is largely residential.

Also, licence holders have to take loans only from weed-friendly banks, which more often than not are state-chartered banks that have decided to act as a depository for cannabis operators, and hold debt on real estate that’s being used for weed-related uses.

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