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This story was republished with permission from Crain’s New York. 

A pair of state-licensed cannabis sellers this week got the green light to open two new dispensaries on the Upper East Side, in an effort to bring regulated weed to the neighborhood as the city grows wild with illegal shops.

Members of Community Board 8’s Street Life Committee on Tuesday night gave the thumbs-up to both of the proposed pot shops: one slated for 1707 Second Ave. and the other at 1190 Lexington Ave.

Applicant Anthony Melchior, the owner of Green Health LLC, is behind the Lexington Avenue space, currently a roughly 800-square-foot vacant storefront at East 81st Street. He said he wants to offer cannabis connoisseurs a product that’s in line with the character of the ritzy neighborhood.

“Mr. Melchior and Green Health are seeking to establish a luxury brand of safe cannabis product in a high-end setting,” said his attorney, Robert Hertman, whose client was criminally charged with possession of marijuana four decades ago. “Safe cannabis is going to supplant the illegal product being sold in our communities today.”

The other applicant, Deanna Brooks, is a small-business owner from Buffalo whose son has a cannabis conviction, according to her attorney, Aleece Burgio. Brooks’ space at 1707 Second, near East 88th Street, is currently an ice cream parlor.

Under the rules of the Office of Cannabis Management, the first licenses for legal cannabis dispensaries were earmarked for applicants who are ​​so-called justice-involved, meaning either they or a family member had a past marijuana conviction.

Brooks and Melchior have already secured licenses to operate from the state’s Office of Cannabis Management.

Gov. Kathy Hochul last week called the launch of the state-run legal weed industry a “disaster,” as illicit cannabis stores proliferate in nearly every corner of the city. And the Upper East Side is no stranger to the unlawful storefronts, though a recent crackdown by the city Sheriff’s Office resulted in at least two arrests and more than $160,000 in fines, the website Patch reported.

The post Two new dispensaries get initial OK to launch on the Upper East Side of NYC appeared first on Green Market Report.

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