Greenwich Village to be abuzz with legal pot shops

Two of the state’s first recreational marijuana dispensaries will open within five blocks of each other on Broadway in Greenwich Village and another is targeting an East Village location.

Housing Works will have a soft opening of its pot shop at Broadway and Eighth Street on Dec. 29, reps for the nonprofit told The Post.

Executives from the organization, which serves those with HIV/AIDS and others, were seen this week touring the location, a former Gap store. The sprawling space has 4,000 square feet on the main level and 2,000 square feet downstairs.

The store is expected to sell weed as well as pre-rolled joints, tinctures, concentrates and edibles, documents show. It will eventually be open seven days a week with hours extending from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. from Monday to Thursday.

Housing Works is one of three nonprofits granted state cannabis licenses last month that also offers substance abuse treatment services to its clients.

One of the other nonprofits, The Doe Fund, is planning to open its store five blocks north at Broadway and 13th Street in a former Chase bank. The space was under construction this week and will eventually sell weed from 8 a.m. to midnight, according to paperwork submitted to Community Board 2.

The space rented at 750 Broadway by the nonprofit Housing Works is set to be a 4,400-square-foot legal marijuana dispensary.
The space rented at 750 Broadway by the nonprofit Housing Works is set to be a 4,400-square-foot legal marijuana dispensary.
Helayne Seidman

The group requires those in its residential work program to maintain their sobriety.

Charles King, the Housing Works CEO, took a “pot shot” at The Doe Fund in an interview, calling the group’s cannabis license “highly ironic.”

“I’m aware they have a very divergent philosophy on substance use, including use of cannabis,” King told City Limits. “Maybe they could see a benefit in their consumers becoming customers.”

marijuana plant
The city’s first legal pot dispensaries will open within blocks of each other.

Housing Works will have a soft opening of its Broadway and Eighth Street store on Dec. 29.
Housing Works will have a soft opening of its Broadway and Eighth Street store on Dec. 29.


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A Housing Works spokeswoman defended King’s statement saying her group’s “harm reduction” approach to drug treatment was “a non-judgmental, non-coercive, trauma-informed philosophy” and that the group respects “the rights of people who use drugs.”

The Doe Fund did not return a request for comment.

The third weed shop in the area will be operated by STRIVE, a job training group. It is looking to open at 3 East Third St., according to Community Board 3.

The state last week identified 248 West 125th St. as the first storefront location going to an individual awarded a cannabis license.

Additional reporting by Helayne Seidman

source: nypost.com