{"id":4827,"date":"2022-03-13T07:00:13","date_gmt":"2022-03-13T07:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/CAIiEPcVTU8QE1oo4gl7M4faEXAqFwgEKg8IACoHCAowjuuKAzCWrzwwloIY"},"modified":"2022-03-13T07:00:13","modified_gmt":"2022-03-13T07:00:13","slug":"these-weed-sellers-arent-waiting-for-permits-like-a-dream-come-true-the-new-york-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/?p=4827","title":{"rendered":"These Weed Sellers Aren\u2019t Waiting for Permits: \u2018Like a Dream Come True\u2019 &#8211; The New York Times"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/these-weed-sellers-arent-waiting-for-permits-like-a-dream-come-true-the-new-york-times.jpg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\"><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-1kg93su e1wiw3jv0\">Here\u2019s what it\u2019s like to walk through Washington Square Park in Manhattan in the wake of legalization. <\/p>\n<p>March 13, 2022<\/p>\n<hr class=\"css-7daw59 e1mu4ftr0\">\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">Wanting to invest in himself and be free of bosses, Terrence Gorham started selling customized T-shirts, hoodies and backpacks from a folding table in Washington Square Park a year ago. Like any good vendor, he noticed late last year when other tables started featuring something new: weed. Soon, he was offering pre-rolled joints and eighth-of-an-ounce pouches alongside his \u201cThink Rich\u201d clothing line.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">\u201cWe\u2019re chameleons,\u201d said Mr. Gorham, 34, who once worked as a custodian. \u201cWe have to adapt to any environment. Weed\u2019s legal here, so I thought why not.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">New York State <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/article\/new-york-marijuana-legalization-facts.html#:~:text=1977%3A%20Decriminalization.,crime%20punishable%20by%20prison%20time.\" title>legalized marijuana last September<\/a>, and although the law allows for personal possession of up to three ounces of cannabis, regulations for sales have not yet been adopted. Direct sales, including those couched as \u201cgifts\u201d of marijuana offered with purchases of overpriced knickknacks or club memberships, are still prohibited.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">On Thursday, responding to concerns that the overwhelming <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/05\/13\/nyregion\/marijuana-arrests-nyc-race.html\" title>majority of people jailed in the past for marijuana charges<\/a> were young people of color, Gov. Kathy Hochul said the state was <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/03\/09\/nyregion\/marijuana-sellers-licenses-hochul.html\" title>earmarking at least the first 100 retailing licenses<\/a> to New Yorkers who had been convicted of marijuana-related offenses, or their relatives.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">Not every vendor is waiting for a license to get started. In Washington Square Park in Manhattan \u2014 a place that is no stranger to weed, surreptitiously sold or smoked \u2014 a breezy open-air market has emerged. On a recent sunny March day, customers chatted up vendors while deciding which strain to buy. As if welcoming visitors with canap\u00e9s, one vendor stood hawking pre-rolls from a tray.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">Tim Green, an advertising executive from Sydney, Australia, took in the scene as he smoked a joint he had just bought from a vendor. He offered his professional opinion about some of the more carefully arranged tables, including one with rainbow and psychedelic designs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">\u201cIt\u2019s got an old hippie vibe,\u201d Mr. Green, 55, said, still surprised by the open sales. \u201cThe designs could do with a bit of work. But you don\u2019t really have to advertise weed.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">For vendors who remember the way young lives were once derailed by a joint turned up during a stop-and-frisk, it is also strange new day.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">\u201cI smoke too much weed to be mad at anybody,\u201d said a 21-year old vendor whose nickname, EZ, matched his attitude. \u201cI\u2019ve been dreaming about this day every day. Mistakes that were made in the past are being worked on.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">EZ, who prefers to go by his nickname because selling weed is still prohibited, is a musician. He had been working at a restaurant \u2014 where is father still thinks he works \u2014 when he switched to selling cannabis to help finance his music. <\/p>\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">\u201cI tried to do straight work,\u201d he said. \u201cBut then reality hits.\u201d He said he makes in a day selling weed what he used to make in a week at the restaurant.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">On most days, EZ arrives at the park by 9 a.m., commuting from his home in Brooklyn\u2019s East New York neighborhood, and works at a table with his business partner. They are friendly and chatty, offering customers $20 pre-rolls and free paper to roll recently bought herb.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">\u201cComing to the park is different than selling in your community,\u201d EZ said. \u201cPrices, appearance, preparation and delivery matter. People need weed and are willing to pay.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">He and the half-dozen other vendors who set up in the park regularly know they are operating in a gray area, but they said the police had not bothered them by and large. When officers walk by, the vendors put away their products and stop sales. In one case, a police officer fist-bumped a vendor and chatted her up.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">The Police Department and parks department did not offer a formal response, but officials at both agencies said they were working together to enforce vending regulations. In the first two months of the year, parks enforcement officers issued 20 summonses for illegal vending \u2014 of anything \u2014 in Washington Square Park, compared with 31 in all of 2021.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">Just as the pandemic changed people\u2019s priorities, values and coping skills, Mr. Gorham thought it had also eased the way for selling openly. \u201cThis should have happened years ago,\u201d he said. \u201cMaybe Covid made people be a little more lenient. It\u2019s hard out here, but the times are changing.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">Selling cannabis bought wholesale using her earnings as a bike messenger helped a vendor who goes by AI emerge from homelessness. She said she had left home after relatives could not accept her being queer. <\/p>\n<section role=\"complementary\" class=\"css-14gh6yt\" aria-label=\"The History of Marijuana Legislation&nbsp;in New York State\">\n<h2 class=\"css-ba3d02\">The History of Marijuana Legislation&nbsp;in New York State<\/h2>\n<hr>\n<div id=\"storyline-context-container\"><span class=\"css-1ly73wi e1tej78p0\">Card 1 of 5<\/span><\/p>\n<div data-scrolled-index=\"0\" class=\"swiper css-1goft0b\">\n<div class=\"css-1vt1os1\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"css-kfr44l\" data-testid=\"context-card\">\n<p class=\"itemClass\"><strong>1977: Decriminalization.<!-- --> <\/strong><span>New York became the ninth state to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1977\/06\/30\/archives\/carey-signs-marijuana-measure-reducing-penalty-for-possession-carey.html?action=click&amp;pgtype=Article&amp;state=default&amp;module=styln-marijuana-new-york&amp;variant=show&amp;region=MAIN_CONTENT_3&amp;block=storyline_levelup_swipe_recirc\">decriminalize small amounts of marijuana<\/a>, making possession of up to 25 grams \u2014 or nearly an ounce \u2014 &nbsp;a violation punishable by a fine of up to $100. Previously, possession was a crime&nbsp;punishable by prison time.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1vt1os1\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"css-kfr44l\" data-testid=\"context-card\">\n<p class=\"itemClass\"><strong>2014: Medical marijuana.<!-- --> <\/strong><span>Gov. Andrew Cuomo and legislative leaders agreed on a pilot program to provide <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2014\/06\/20\/nyregion\/new-york-medical-marijuana-deal.html?action=click&amp;pgtype=Article&amp;state=default&amp;module=styln-marijuana-new-york&amp;variant=show&amp;region=MAIN_CONTENT_3&amp;block=storyline_levelup_swipe_recirc\">access to marijuana for sick residents<\/a>. The deal included a major demand of the Cuomo administration: that no smoking of the drug would be permitted.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1vt1os1\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"css-kfr44l\" data-testid=\"context-card\">\n<p class=\"itemClass\"><strong>2019: Expanded decriminalization.<!-- --> <\/strong><span>Lawmakers <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/06\/20\/nyregion\/marijuana-laws-ny.html?action=click&amp;pgtype=Article&amp;state=default&amp;module=styln-marijuana-new-york&amp;variant=show&amp;region=MAIN_CONTENT_3&amp;block=storyline_levelup_swipe_recirc\">further decriminalized<\/a>&nbsp;the drug and automatically expunged many low-level convictions. Possession of up to two ounces or less was treated as a violation instead of a crime, with fines dropping to as low as $50.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1vt1os1\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"css-kfr44l\" data-testid=\"context-card\">\n<p class=\"itemClass\"><strong>2021: Recreational marijuana.<!-- --> <\/strong><span>After years of failed attempts, the&nbsp;state <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/03\/31\/nyregion\/cuomo-ny-legal-weed.html?action=click&amp;pgtype=Article&amp;state=default&amp;module=styln-marijuana-new-york&amp;variant=show&amp;region=MAIN_CONTENT_3&amp;block=storyline_levelup_swipe_recirc\">legalized recreational marijuana<\/a>, tying the move to economic and racial equity. Under the law, 40 percent of tax revenue from cannabis will go to minority communities ravaged by the war on drugs.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">Now, she presides over a busy and colorful table featuring cannabis edibles, pre-rolls and flower, as well as CBD lotions she sells under her Canaremedy brand, which she markets as a queer, Black-owned business. And yes, she \u2014 like other vendors \u2014 delivers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">\u201cPeople want to smoke,\u201d she said. \u201cWe see this as an opportunity. We are the future, and this is a good opportunity to have a just economic system.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">AI has two misdemeanor cannabis arrests \u2014 including one that landed her in jail at Rikers Island for five days around Christmas five years ago \u2014 that she plans to have expunged. She said she had friends and relatives who had also been arrested for marijuana possession.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">AI, who preferred to use her nickname because of her arrest history, said she had anxiety and eczema, and that cannabis \u2014 smoked or in lotions \u2014 had eased her physical and emotional symptoms.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">Now that New York has legalized marijuana, and with the latest announcement that the first licenses would go to people with cannabis convictions, her goal was to set up a storefront and expand her offerings. She had gotten her business documents in order and trademarked her brand.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">\u201cI\u2019ve been a victim of incarceration and I have family members who were too,\u201d she said. \u201cThis is like a dream come true. Marijuana has been helping me for 12 years, and it\u2019s helped me so much, I want to create a company to help others. I have a lot to offer to the world when it comes to cannabis.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here\u2019s what it\u2019s like to walk through Washington Square Park in Manhattan in the wake of legalization. March 13, 2022 Wanting to invest in himself and be free of bosses, Terrence Gorham started selling customized T-shirts, hoodies and backpacks from a folding table in Washington Square Park a year ago. Like any good vendor, he noticed late last year when other tables started featuring something new: weed. Soon, he was offering pre-rolled joints and eighth-of-an-ounce pouches alongside his \u201cThink Rich\u201d clothing line. \u201cWe\u2019re chameleons,\u201d said Mr. Gorham, 34, who once worked as a custodian. \u201cWe have to adapt to any&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4828,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4827","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/these-weed-sellers-arent-waiting-for-permits-like-a-dream-come-true-the-new-york-times.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4827","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4827"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4827\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4828"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4827"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4827"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4827"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}