Everybody Must Get Stoned (in NYC)

Manhattan’s Metastasizing Marijuana Mayhem

No beating around the name of this cannabis bush. [all photos in this piece © the author]

“My stash is in a wooden cigar box in a dresser drawer — but so dank I can smell it in the room” — Zĕna Kōan

Hello folks.
Glad to see some of you joining me here today who were along for my recent “Bon Appétit—Glory and Salivation Through Gastronomic Nomanclature” tour. Welcome.

Let me start with a brief history before we begin.

In 2022, it became legal to sell recreational cannabis in New York State— through state-licensed dispensaries—of which to date there are only 146 in the entire state. Recent statistics reveal total adult use cannabis sales has surpassed $183 million in the state. That’s a lot of high.

As cannabis possession was decriminalized a proliferation of diverse, small, not-quite-legal cannabis shops began filling many of the previously empty retail spaces created by the pandemic. These boutiques also sell other consciouness altering substances like nicotine vapes (Juul), bongs, Kratom, CBD, Zaza, caffeine, sugar, etc.

Estimates for the number of these boutiques—usually gaudy and eye catching with neon marijuana leaves or bongs in the window—are in the thousands. Six hundred…