Building a profitable business is hard; building one in Cannaland is almost impossible. We are all handcuffed on multiple levels. I was watching an advertisement pre-Knick game on Molson Ale. The advertisement essentially sang about Molson times, from lunch to dinner to evening activities, pushing the concept that Molson should be drunk all day, at any hour. We all know the reality that alcohol isn’t good for us, but cannabis, which is showing some incredibly positive usage results, can’t advertise.
There is a daily misalignment between federal policy and medical evidence. I read daily about all the positive results coming from across the globe, but certainly not enough from the US, because not enough research is being done. Wouldn’t it make more sense to embrace this plant to better serve people who benefit from cannabinoid therapies? Oh, silly me, the pharma lobbyists don’t love this idea because it reduces their use and market share.
This absurd change in federal policy, which occurred during the Nixon years, has stymied progress on potential therapies, dosing amounts, and a true understanding of the benefits the plant can provide us. Just add this to the list of other corrupt decisions at the federal level.
Currently, Gotham has a kiosk at Grand Central, where we sell our private-label products and build our brand, but we cannot sell any cannabis products, even though commuters line up at the liquor store to get something for their commute home. Grand Central’s number-one-selling product, which helps them bring in revenue, is… drumroll, please… alcohol. Why can’t we sell THC drinks and gummies too?
The heavy hand of NYS has issued many licenses, yet there are restrictions regarding how close we can all be to each other. Why? That doesn’t happen in any other category. If we are to be a true capitalist society, then let people set up shop wherever, and see who succeeds, and who doesn’t. There are blocks with 4 coffee shops, and eventually, there will be only one.
The taxes, the handcuffs, the oversight, and the restrictions make zero sense yet we create jobs and put a lot of money back into the economy.
John Kagia, the new head of the OCM, who has been in for quite a while, was quoted as saying, “Legalization is not intended to create new consumers. It’s intended to serve over 2.2 million New Yorkers who consume cannabis regularly.” This might be one of the most intelligent things anyone has said in this industry, ever.
Even if you want to ignore the insanity going on in the world right now, it is hard to. Everyone I know is concerned at an underlying level. We are at the mercy of the government, and the people running it are insane and incompetent. And so much is happening every day, it’s tough to keep up. It’s scary
Is this country going to be bankrupt when this all ends? Will our standing in the world ever return? Will we have friendly allies again to partner and do business with? Will our country be hit with an attack? Or should we only be scared of AI and the countless jobs that are being eliminated?
How do you address those fears as a parent, a friend, a partner, or a company? I think about this all the time. I can’t fix this, but I hope I can be a voice of reason and safety. We have seen companies grow so big that they need to be broken up. We have seen the US invading other countries, leaving them worse off than before. I’m freaked too, but I want to believe that this, too, will end, and we will rebuild as a species, and it will put us in a better place. That’s what history has taught us.
The question I keep wondering is who is going to save us, and how is this all going to end, or at least shift gears.
And then I watched the Oscars, an annual event broadcast around the globe. The speeches were bold; they’re political; they are calling shit out, and they aren’t afraid. They were also defining how insane the culture we are living in is. Acknowledging parts of the industry that had never received an Oscar also signals a message of community. So perhaps this puts pressure on those still bowing to the king: the people are not with you? I can only hope. I am looking for positive light anywhere I can get it.
I went to college in Boston. It was there I learned the word used to describe Boston and the northeastern part of Massachusetts was “provincial”. This is where the first people settled in our country; there is history, and their self-governing, traditional, tight community of New Englanders.
I just read the 2009 book called New York: The Novel by David Rutherfurd. This book has many narrators, beginning with the families that arrived in Manhattan as Dutch and British merchants, destroying the Indian fishing villages. We follow families that evolve through the Gilded Age, the Civil War, the 1929 crash, and beyond. The connections and lessons run deep. It is also about the American opportunity.
What has struck me the most is how each era is similar to what is happening in our country today; although different, it is still history repeating itself. Each chapter conveys how we might have left England, but the corruption, the elitism, the power, the abuse, came over on the boats, and it has never stopped showing up. How do we change that?
Everyone has woken up to what trauma means, how to be more aware, and some can call it “woke,” but to me, it means we can be a better society. The “Me Too” movement made progress, but we need more. How women and children are abused is mind-boggling, and why don’t we start making the victims the most important person in the room? How people manage and behave in work settings has changed, and thank god. What I witnessed in the early 80’s, I wouldn’t want anyone else to go through that.
Racism still exists because it is taught to exist. We continue to repeat history by failing to break with the past. Transparency, empathy, honesty, and accountability would certainly be a change in the right direction. We have such an ugly past, and many try to erase the history books and rewrite them without the bad behavior that existed, but you can’t because it must be retaught. We pretend to be “provincial” in that going to church on Sunday means all can be forgiven.
You can’t make a better future without acknowledging and understanding the past. We have yet to learn this. When are we going to have a leader who can change the direction our country is taking now? We can only hope.
These days, when cannabis is on the ballot, the people vote in favor of having dispensaries, aka consumers being able to buy weed. This speaks volumes.
There are many jurisdictions throughout NYS where it is the community boards that have decided not to allow dispensaries in their communities. Why is the obvious question. Now, areas that have said yes are starting to reap the tax benefits. Let’s hope NYS figures out a way for this industry to grow and for more taxes to be put back into these towns.
There is so much information being tossed around these days that it is hard to pay attention and figure out what’s real and what’s not. There are polls, of course, that can tell us what the majority of Americans are thinking, but that doesn’t mean the Senators and Congresspeople will vote that way. Sadly, at this point, we all know that corruption is rampant everywhere, as it is literally in our face.
The one thing I have always loved about California ballot propositions is that the people get to speak. A referendum can be placed on the ballot through the California State Legislature or through a petition signed by a number of registered voters equal to 5% of the total votes. Then of course the entire state votes on whether to pass that proposition. The positive is that the people get to speak, the negative is that the government is not set up for the change that just took place and it takes years for the legal system to hammer it out.
All that being said, when it comes to cannabis and the false narrative that has been fed to us for decades, the people are speaking quite clearly that they want a dispensary in their states and towns, just like a liquor store and a pharmacy. Unfortunately, most of the legislature will need to be rewritten to force those towns to shift, which speaks loudly about how the government tiptoed too lightly on this.
All of the people running for office should be listening to the people, not to the money at the top, and I believe they will be rewarded for having a dispensary in town and for the tax dollars flowing into the system.
I love fashion, always have. Clothes define the times. They also represent your self-identity. You feel different wearing a suit than a pair of sweatpants. Clothes are the first thing people notice when you walk into a room. We can look back to Princess Diana, who wore the now-famous “fuck you” dress to the Vanity Fair Gala when Charles left her. She did not have to say a word; the outfit and how it looked on her spoke for itself.
I get excited for the change of seasons, and always make a new purchase. Some things from the year before stay the course, others are put into storage for a later day. I love going back and re-wearing old favorites. I particularly love passing them on to our daughters and my nieces.
As a world, we make too many clothes. People are finally realizing how fashion is destroying the environment. The success of The Real Real and other companies like this, where people can sell their clothing and buy other people’s clothes they no longer want, is here to stay.
Luxury has gotten out of hand. The cost of marketing the goods, running the stores, and paying for design houses is extremely high. LVMH, the best of the best, grossed almost $80B in 2025 (down 5% from 2024) and made a profit of $12B (a 13% decline from 2024). LVMH has a market cap of $280B listed on the Parisian exchange.
One could ask, when does this peak? Yoox, Net A Porter, and My Theresa are now all rolled up under one roof, Lux Experience, a publicly traded company on the NYSE, housed in Germany, that purchased each of these sites. Not surprisingly, they have already laid off 100 people but plan on laying off over 700 as they restructure. This happened with Macy’s when it merged with Bambergers. Why pay for two when you can have one? In the Yoox Net A Porter My Theresa roll-up, why pay for three of everything? The big difference is that roll-up is all online, not brick-and-mortar, and with AI, there will be less need for people.
I thought about all of these things when I saw a red Chanel bag in the latest Elle magazine. I am not a Chanel girl, but I was curious, so I looked it up online. The bag is priced at $13,500. That is insane. I would rather buy a piece of art from an upcoming artist and keep my belongings in my pockets. The industry believes these bags cost about $500 to make. That is some serious margin. I understand that they represent an old-school elite luxury brand, but how many people can afford to buy this, or even want to buy it, even if they can afford it? As I used to say to our children, just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. The world is changing.
I loved the fashion shows this past week, and it is fun to watch them streamed on Instagram, and the shows absolutely spoke to the times we are in, but I can’t help but wonder where this is all going? Where does it end up? Change is absolutely afoot.
Liquor is waning. When industries wane, they call in the lobbyists to make their case with cash. The latest plea is to allow liquor stores to carry the THC cannabis drinks, not the hemp-derived cannabis, because that is off the table, but the products that are being carried in dispensaries. Their angle is well, we are the liquid vice providers, so give it to us.
Needless to say, this pisses me off, and more than likely everyone else in the dispensary space. The government has made it hard enough for us to advertise, distribute, and be profitable because we are overtaxed, and has also foisted unions on all of us, even though nobody has ever died from a cannabis overdose. How are we supposed to survive? How are we supposed to create new industries?
Take a look at all the other industries, particularly tech and pharma, that should all be broken up. Most of them own the entire supply chain and every business they touch, including sucking up all of our data. It is bad enough that we have insane power crazy people running our country, but at least the Democrats could do is get cannabis right, and let new industries blossom.
Prior to the opening of Gotham, Fred and I would spend three months a year in LA. Gotham was a bit of a hiccup for a few years, but this year we made our way to LA for an extended stay. Fred is longer than me, but it has been great. I am able to stay involved in the business through Zoom. Although I do miss the in-person, particularly because I rarely get to see the rest of the company unless I am present. But we have a great team, and I can be in LA without feeling out of touch, well, not completely, but.
Favorite activities in LA are the farmers’ market. I have been to the Santa Monica Farmers Market and the Hollywood one, too, and others throughout the city, but my absolute favorite is Mar Vista. They have everything, including food to go, so think Smorgasbord meets Union Square Market. One of my favorite discoveries this year is the mango sticky rice booth.
Everything is so beautiful, tastes delicious, and smells good too. It is hard to get this anywhere else except the East Coast during August and September but the peaches and plums out east will never compete with the west coast farmers market.
This past weekend was Frieze. I have bemoaned the art fairs and how they are a major part of the transformation of the gallery world, in both good and bad ways. The last few years have felt so staid, from the art to the installations. In LA, at the Santa Monica Airport, 3/4 of the rows are mostly LA galleries, with those representing younger, up-and-coming artists. Up-and-coming doesn’t really exist price-wise at Frieze anymore, but of course, that is everywhere. (Artist Lebohang Kganye @ Southern Guild)
It’s too bad because the price points here make it hard for many, and it shouldn’t be. Everything used to be $10-20K, and now everything is $75K, but at least this year, I was inspired. There were a few pieces I would have bought, but I am watching from afar these days. (Artist Ludovic Nkoth, Movement @Francois Ghebaly)
Here are a few more of my faves. (Artist Alex Gardiner, Spiral @Perrotin Gallery)
Artist Matthew Brannon, 11pm Friday Night, Soho, @David Kordansky Gallery
SO Los Angeles!
Lauren Satlowsky, Skiing on Acid @Timothy Taylor
Narsiso Martinez, Asparagus Picker, @Charlie James Gallery
Jeffrey Sincich, @Charlie James Gallery
Miki Leal, Como obtener un Mattise al modico precio de un Miki @El Apartamento Gallery)This might be one of my faves.
My favorite thing in LA is sitting in the backyard, chilling with the fire pit on. Only another week.
I am never fully off the grid, but I can do a vacation without taking a meeting. Mentally, it is very hard for me to turn off the business brain, but sitting on a beach for hours reading a book is a good start.
Emily and I took a short trip to Lanai. The last time either of us had been in Hawaii was when the whole family went to the Big Island for a few days and a day seeing Pearl Harbor. Since I am on the West Coast right now, it made sense. I always struggle with where to go at this time of the year, when it is warm, and there is a beach. I have heard only great things about Lanai, and so did Emily, so we went.
The ocean is gorgeous, and the sand is soft, and of course, it is not crowded. The resort butts up against a public beach; it was fun to watch the snorkelers, paddleboarders, and swimmers enjoy the water.
We took an extremely rocky hike along the shoreline. It was a round-tripper, but I called my first audible at this point by walking onto the golf course, calling the front desk, and having them pick us up. Hiking is probably not my thing.
We had dinner at Mozza’s, which is a nice addition to the place, and the only place where you can eat something good. There is a Nobu (which does not serve sushi) at another hotel, and we never got there because we opted to call an audible on the last night. We tried all the spots to eat from the Lanai Grill, Richards Market (grocery store that also serves poke), the spot at the golf course, and nibbles at the pool (the last two provided by Malibu Farms). The food, besides Mozza, is truly inedible. We couldn’t bear another bad meal where we pushed our food around the plate. I know that resorts have bad food, but this was next-level bad. So unacceptable.
The average age in Lanai is 41, and the 15-25 age range is the lowest at almost 9%. There are only about 3100 people who live on the island. In June 2012, Larry Ellison bought 98% of Lanai from Castle and Cooke, which builds large planned communities. They owned 98% of Lanai but supposedly lost money during their ownership before selling to Ellison. Oddly enough, Castle and Cooke, through a merger with Dole, was at one point the largest producer of vegetables and fruits. It appears that neither of these owners has thought or cares about the health and community that lives on the island, because it is a food desert. The majority of food is sourced from the mainland, so why can’t the Four Seasons figure out how to source better? Sigh.
So, we dipped. We flew to Honolulu for our last night. We had a massage in Lanai, flew to Honolulu (one of the better courtesies of the hotel), and landed in 25 minutes, meaning that in 30 minutes we were sitting at Mitch’s Fish and Sushi Bar. A dive spot serving up raw fish that was in the waters of Japan and Hawaii that morning. We could not have been happier.
The next morning, we went to Dean & Deluca for coffee and a few items. Good old brands don’t die, they just show up in weird places. We hit up Leonard’s for donuts. I mean, when in Hawaii.
And last, we stopped at Onigiri Onibee, which obviously specializes in onigiri. As we can never help ourselves, we bought a variety of things. The best was the soft soy egg sitting inside rice, with a piece of nori to wrap it before you eat. It was excellent.
Between the relaxation, the conversation, and the audible, it was a perfect vacation.
I had the honor of being on the podcast Respect My Region, where I had an entertaining, thoughtful conversation with Joey Brabo. Joey has visited over 350 dispensaries across the country; essentially, he gets the industry as a marketer. He gets lifestyle and how it applies to music, cannabis, and culture. In cannabis, the podcaster starts the conversation, lighting up, I wish I knew, I would have done the same thing.
What Sets The Four Gotham NYC Dispensary Locations Apart from Other Cannabis Retailers
One of the top dispensaries in New York, Gotham NYC, recently joined us on the Respect My Region New York Cannabis Podcast to talk about what sets their four dispensary locations apart from each other, and the rest of the dispensaries in New York.
What was the consistent theme for this episode with their Founder and CEO Joanne Wilson? Gotham NYC really prioritizes the customer experience and takes a treat others how you want to be treated type of approach. Each location also infuses local art and culture into the life and energy of the dispensary.
If you’re looking to visit a dispensary in Manhattan or Brooklyn, you’re stepping into one of the most competitive retail environments in the country. There are a ton of great dispensaries in New York City, all of them trying to earn new business.
Without being from New York, I’ve come to understand that locals there, don’t really hand out credibility that easily, especially when it comes to the cannabis industry. Respect is earned every step of the way.
Once in a while though, you’ll get a dispensary, or even just a regular cannabis company, who understands what it takes to fit in and stand out at the same time. What it takes to really serve customers at the highest level all of the time.
Gotham dispensaries are an example of that. They have curated storefronts serving real customers who expect quality and respect when they walk through the door. Every Gotham dispensary in New York is recognized for their design.
Yes, every showroom has the signature tree installation.
Yes, the products and brands feels dialed.
The art, lighting, mood, and energy from each location, everything planned and executed to perfection.
But none of that works if the customer experience falls flat.
Gotham understood early that in a market like New York, especially with recreational dispensary NYC users growing every day, design might bring people in once.
The real difference would be how they treat people. Service is what brings them back.
Gotham operates four dispensaries in New York:
Bowery 3 E 3rd St New York, NY 10003
Walk into Bowery and you’ll feel downtown energy immediately. It moves fast outside. Inside, it slows down just enough. Staff don’t rush you. They don’t talk down to you. They don’t oversell. They answer questions clearly, whether you’re buying flower for the first time or you already know the exact strain you want.
Chelsea 10th Ave New York, NY 10011
Chelsea feels polished but not stiff. You can browse. You can ask about dosing. You can take your time. That balance matters in Manhattan, where retail can sometimes feel transactional.
Hudson 260 Warren St Hudson, NY 12534
Hudson operates at a different pace, but the treatment stays consistent. You’re not treated like a number. You’re treated like someone choosing a product that actually matters to your day.
Williamsburg 296 Kent Ave Williamsburg, NY 11249
Williamsburg carries that Brooklyn edge, but the same service standard applies. Respect. Clear information. No pressure. If you want recommendations, they’ll walk you through it. If you want efficiency, they’ll get you in and out.
Gotham has a profound philosophy, treat the customer how you would want to be treated.
In cannabis retail, this philosophy is not always common and almost always poorfly executed. Thankfully, Gotham prioritzes this and has each team member on the same page.
In a city where people are constantly pitched, marketed to, and rushed, a weed dispensary in NYC that respects your time and intelligence stands out.
The product selection reflects the New York adult use market, flower, pre rolls, vapes, edibles, concentrates, accessories. But what defines the experience isn’t just what’s in the display case. It’s how the staff helps you navigate it.
And for customers who don’t want to step inside, Gotham also offers delivery. For anyone searching dispensary delivery NYC, weed delivery Manhattan, Brooklyn cannabis delivery, or Hudson NY cannabis delivery, the same curated menu can come directly to you.
The art and tree installation in each dispensary showroom makes a statementn and sets a tone. But the reason Gotham continues to grow across Bowery, Chelsea, Williamsburg, and Hudson is simpler.
They treat people right.
If you want to browse the menu for any of their New York locations or set up delivery where available, head to Gotham’s website and explore what’s currently in stock before you stop in.
Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt wants to repeal medical cannabis in the state, calling the industry “one of the greatest threats to public safety” and “out of control,”reports The Oklahoman.
Spare me. You know what the biggest threats are? Pharma companies that do not work on cures but figure out medications that we need to buy instead, that would take the strain off our healthcare system, but feed the public Oxi and create addiction problems. What the fuck is wrong with these people? Don’t they read the data? They just believe in a narrative that has been forced down their throats from the 1960s? Or is it just all about the money that funds their candidacies? Have they talked to the community that voted for them?
Look at Long Island. It is the community boards that everyone has utter frustration with, which are making decisions in a vacuum. Ask the people if they want a dispensary or prefer to drive hours away to obtain their products that are better for you than alcohol or Pharma. If they could vote on it, in a voting booth, the reality is that the people would want dispensaries. They probably are not fans of dispensaries with flashing neon marijuana leaves in the window, but who is?
“I don’t think I’ve been subtle about it,” GOP Rep. Andy Harris, a longtime Congressional opponent of cannabis reform, said of progress toward federal rescheduling. “All I know is every day that goes by, and it’s not rescheduled is another good day.” And why Andy Harris? Have you ever tried weed or do you believe that alcohol is a better drug or choice?
Another moron. I can hardly wait until all these conservative people who are living in a reality from yesteryear are all voted out of office. A comeuppance is long overdue.
We need to move forward as a country by doing massive amounts of cannabis medical research, not listening to these old white men who have never puffed, although it does seem like a lot of them have done some questionable things, where they go to church on Sunday and atone for their sins, believing that all is well.
