New York's first legal pot shop opens

A 1,340-square-meter corner building in Manhattan's Greenwich Village became home to New York's first legal adult-use cannabis dispensary for recreational marijuana on Thursday.

"The local community members and stakeholders are really excited," Trivette Knowles, official spokesperson for the New York State Office of Cannabis Management, or OCM, told China Daily.

"Obviously, it takes a lot of responsibility on OCM to do informational campaigns and meet communities where they're at, and anybody who has any fear or hesitation. We are here and ready to communicate with you and go through any of those concerns."

Nearly two years after the law legalizing cannabis was approved in New York State, Governor Kathy Hochul announced last week that the social services group Housing Works will be the first licensed dispensaries to begin selling cannabis to the general public.

"We set a course just nine months ago to start New York's adult-use cannabis market off on the right foot by prioritizing equity, and now, we're fulfilling that goal," Hochul said.