Smacked, Manhattan’s second legal, recreational cannabis dispensary is slated to open as soon as next week in Greenwich Village.
The new pot-shop known as Smacked was set to open at 144 Bleecker St. just weeks after the state’s first dispensary opened in the East Village. Offering everything from cannabis flower to concentrates, vape products and edibles, the store will be located inside a former Duane Reade and will be open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The owner of the store, Roland Connor, was granted a Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary, or CAURD license, which aims to give an edge to those impacted by marijuana prohibition and “justice-involved” applicants in order to promote equity within the legal industry. Connor, along with Smacked Operations Officer Desmond Lewis and others on their team, addressed Community Board 2’s Cannabis License Committee on Wednesday.
“I really want to make sure that I listen to this neighborhood,” Connor said. “There are people here that care about what’s going on here… This is a historical place that I have been blessed and honored to have to open to be actually one of the first court license holders.”
Amongst the concerns addressed throughout the meeting were security, line control, and noise levels. Lewis said the store would be one of the most secure on the block due to state regulations, complete with cameras inside and outside the location.
“We are, for all intents and purposes, a pharmacy-style business — everything that we do is secure and is tracked from what’s called seed to sale. And so everything that we do is monitored by the state,” Lewis said. “Our security is most likely going to be, probably, the highest on the street as a result primarily of regulation. And then we’re going on top of that to do some additional security.”
John Cutter, of the security team for Smacked, said a combination of former law enforcement officers and standard unarmed security guards will handle line control, monitor the product, and make themselves available should surrounding local businesses have any issues.
At the meeting Wednesday, there was little pushback from attendees, and the store’s team won the praises of the committee, including chair Mar Fitzgerald, who praised them on the outreach they had done so far in reaching out to the community.
The committee voted unanimously to endorse the incoming store. The full community board will also have a chance to discuss it next Thursday. A community board’s approval serves as a suggestion considered by the Office of Cannabis Management and the state. It does not have the authority to prevent a dispensary from opening.
The store is set for a “soft launch” to members of the press on Wednesday, Jan. 18, and will open to the general public later in the week.
