Over 30 illegal weed shops surround single legal cannabis dispensary in this popular NYC neighborhood — causing haziness among ‘confused’ customers
NY Post
More than 30 unregulated weed vendors surround a licensed cannabis dispensary in the Lower East Side — smoking out its business as “confused” customers struggle to differentiate between the two.
The plight of ConBud, which opened in October on Delancey and Orchard Streets, is representative of a citywide problem — with an estimated 1,500 illicit pot shops encroaching on just 16 licensed dispensaries almost three years after recreational marijuana sales were approved by state lawmakers.
“I didn’t think it would be this big of a problem. It’s a lot of competition,” said Coss Marte, a co-founder of ConBud.
“I’m operating in a mature market already.”
Expecting a rush of customers looking for high quality, legal weed, Marte and his partners designed the shop layout to accommodate long queues and heavy foot traffic.
Yet on Tuesday afternoon, the shop had the calm vibe of a designer boutique, not a bustling retail store.
