Clay, N.Y. — Lighting up for the holidays is taking on a whole new meaning this week for T.J. Lewis.
Lewis on Friday expects to open his shop, TJ’s Cannabis Co. He’ll become just the second legal, state-licensed recreational marijuana retailer in Onondaga County.
“I got the golden ticket and I’m ready to go,” he said. His marijuana retail shop, or dispensary, opens at noon Friday in the Longbranch Park Plaza off Route 57 in Clay.
For Lewis, it’s been a long and difficult wait. He’s had a preliminary state license to sell marijuana since May. But, like hundreds of other licensees across the state, his dream has been held up by lawsuits and other delays in the state’s roll out of marijuana sales.
In June, Onondaga County’s first marijuana dispensary, Flynnstoned Cannabis, opened at 219 Walton St. in Syracuse’s Armory Square. It has been the only licensed shop in the county, or anywhere in Central New York, since then. There have been a couple of temporary, pop-up shops in the county, but they must close by Dec. 31.
Along with Lewis, 12 other preliminary licensees have been waiting for the lawsuits to be resolved, and then for the state Office of Cannabis Management to conduct a final “walk through” inspection so they can open.
Cannabis office inspectors checked out Lewis’ shop at 4205 Long Branch Road on Tuesday. They issued him a sticker certifying his compliance with all the rules and regulations at that time. He’s expecting the full license to be issued today.
He’ll open Friday, Saturday and Sunday, but then close on Monday for Christmas. He said he’s spent so much money and time getting ready that he “can’t afford” not to open as soon as possible.
Lewis had operated a shop called TJ’s Hydroponic at the same location, but closed it this summer in anticipation of getting the green light to open sooner. That meant he’s had no income for months.
The shop will be stocked with a full array of products, from flower and pre-rolls to vapes, edibles and more. Depending on the strain, he expects to sell 1/8 ounce of flower in a range from $25 to $50.
TJ’s Cannabis opens as the logjam in the state’s legal marijuana sales looks like its beginning to open up.
The state last month settled a major lawsuit that had shut down openings of the preliminary licensees under what is called the CAURD program (Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary). Those licenses had gone primarily to individuals who had prior convictions for marijuana offenses no longer considered crimes.
Lewis qualified due to a prior arrest and conviction.
The state also recently took applications for a more open individual licensing program, and will soon issue licenses for recreational sales by the state’s existing medical marijuana providers. It’s not yet clear how long any of those shops will take to open.
Lewis said he’s been preparing for months to hit the ground running when his license came through.
He plans to be open noon to 8 p.m. this Friday, 8 a.m. to midnight on Saturday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. Going forward, he plans to open 8 a.m. to midnight Monday through Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday.
“It’s been so long, but now it’s here,” he said. “We are going to roll.”
Don Cazentre writes for NYup.com, syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Reach him at (315) 470-2297 or dcazentre@nyup.com, or follow him at NYup.com, on Twitter or Facebook.