Two weeks after a judge lifted a legal injunction barring the opening of new recreational cannabis dispensaries in the state, Western New York will get its third legal pot store.
Premier Earth will open at 4:20 p.m. Wednesday at 1297 Hertel Ave. in a former post office.
"It has been a great reception from the community," said Mark Schlueter, sales director and general manager. "Everybody has been dealing with the sticker shops and the illegal stuff and we've been getting great feedback that it's good to have something that's New York State certified here."
Owner and East Side native Joe Wojciechowski received his license back in April and leased the building in June, but the opening was put on hold by a lawsuit from a group of military veterans and medical dispensary operators who sued, saying they were unconstitutionally left out of the licensing application process.
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"We were all ready to open up. The facility was completely done and we had to just wait," Schlueter said. "There was a lot of bills going out, a lot of lease payments and stuff like that and then not knowing where it would end up."
There are two other legal recreational dispensaries open in Western New York, on Main Street and in Depew.
Other dispensaries and licensees have been very welcoming, Schlueter said.
"They've been a great help trying to get some final pieces in play," he said. "Everybody's excited to work together. You would think it would be a very competitive market but everyone's kind of open to helping each other through. It's refreshing."
The post office was built in the early 1920s, and Premier Earth has tried to incorporate period-accurate flourishes, including display cabinets from 1910 and a refurbished pharmacy cabinet from the 1860s.
"Sometimes when you go into these newer shops, they have this kind of Apple Store feel to them and that's kind of what we wanted to steer away from," Schlueter said.
It has been a challenge getting started amid an industry that is just getting off the ground, but the state and the City of Buffalo have been very responsive, he said.
"Everybody is kind of learning together, like the old saying, they're building the plane as they're flying it," he said. "Sometimes when there's not an answer it's because there is no answer."
So far, there are 32 adult-use dispensaries open in the state. They have sold a total of $132 million in cannabis product, according to the Office of Cannabis Management.
"We've been building this market with duct tape and baling wire," John Kagia, director of policy at the Office of Cannabis Management, said during a meeting Tuesday. "It's been incredible to see how quickly this market is evolving around us."