Honey’s Cannabis in Gardiner is a bit of a work in progress. But don’t blame owner Courtney Beaupre. Or the town.
Courtney’s store currently has a retail license for Cannabidiol, better known as CBD—an active ingredient in cannabis that is derived from the hemp plant; an ingredient that does not cause a high nor is it addictive. Her shop has been welcoming customers upon appointment, and just about every weekend (Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday) since her doors opened in August 2022 at 133 Main Street. And it will be open on a rare weeknight this Wednesday, June 14, at 6 p.m., for a special ribbon cutting and Gardiner Area Business mixer.
A resident of Gardiner with her family for close to 20 years, Courtney notes both business and acceptance have been good at Honeys Cannabis. And she’s learned even more about state regulations than she already knew for her day job as Chief Quality and Compliance Officer for Gateway Hudson Valley, a nonprofit social service agency headquartered in Kingston.
Courtney knows her new venture will take time and patience to jump all the hurdles to legally provide cannabis.
Picture by LACE Photo Media
“We’ve been in a holding pattern for two years,” she said. Since New York said yes to legalized cannabis in 2021, only a handful of locations in the state have been granted licenses. Other than a handful of shops in New York City, Courtney noted that the closest operating location where cannabis can legally be purchased right now is in Schenectady. The rules and regulations, not to mention differences of opinion about the new law are far too involved to get into here, but…
Legal cannabis is coming to the Hudson Valley. And Courtney will be ready when it finally happens.
The rollout as to who can open dispensaries has been deliberately slow. There are the large businesses, such as Cur-A-Leaf, which are subject to more regulations and fees as a grower, processor, and seller. According to the state, the first licenses were reserved for “those most impacted by the enforcement of the prohibition of cannabis or non-profit organizations whose services include support for the formerly incarcerated.” Courtney said that applications for the next round of dispensaries for minority, veteran, and woman-owned businesses should become available around September. “The hope is that we will open for selling legal cannabis in March of 2024,” she said.
Picture by LACE Photo Media
Looking ahead, there will likely be at least two locations in New Paltz, Courtney adds. In the here and now, the town of Gardiner has been working well with Honey’s Cannabis current location, in a storefront neighboring Pascquale’s and Uptown Attic.
“Gardiner has been very supportive and we are located in the multi-use hamlet section- Gardiner opted in and said our location was OK.”
New York municipalities had the option to opt out of adult-use dispensaries. Of the 24 cities, towns, and villages in Ulster County listed in a report by the Rockefeller Institute of Government, 19 have opted in, with the exceptions of Plattekill, Wawarsing, Esopus, Shawangunk, and the town of Saugerties (the village of Saugerties opted in).
Her shop is not huge, but in that regard, it is “in keeping with the same sort of look and style as we have now, very much Gardiner—wainscoting front, a lot of wood, plants, and a little more updated to accommodate traffic. Better lighting, better ceilings.”
As required by the state, there will be an area where all the cannabis is stored at night in a secure room, protected by a material that is not easily penetrable, similar to Kevlar. That is in the future—fingers crossed.
“I hope to focus on farms and vendors from the Hudson Valley,” Courtney said, noting that about 90 percent of the CBD at her shop is sourced in the region. “We have so many local growers in hemp and now cannabis. We want the focus to be on local products in the community.”
Written by Author, Matthew Silverman
Author of Out of a Dog’s Mouth (under the name McNally Berry),
https://www.outofadogsmouth.com/
Proprietor of Silverman Editing Services
https://www.silvermanediting.com/