When Housing Works Cannabis Co. opened at the end of December 2022, it was the very first recreational cannabis dispensary in New York to open with the government’s blessing—and the line of excited customers roped its way around the corner for days on end.

In the first three hours of its opening on Dec. 29, 2022, Housing Works Cannabis Co. saw an estimated $40,000 in sales, according to the nonprofit that operates it.

The hype did not die down, at least not sales-wise. It saw over $1.6 million in the first month and an estimated $12 million in the first six months of operations, according to an analysis it released this week.

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The shop saw as many as 1,000 unique visitors on busy days with deliveries accounting for about 5-7% of sales. That’s not surprising, given that New York City is said to be the biggest consumer of cannabis in the world (believe it). 

This is great news because the dispensary’s sales proceeds go directly to helping New Yorkers with healthcare, housing, job training, harm reduction, case management, advocacy for health equity and social justice initiatives, LGBTQ+ youth programs and sexual health services.

“Our goal, going back over 30 years ago through Housing Works, has been to empower New Yorkers through advocacy and bridge communities to life-saving services,” said Sasha Nutgent, Retail Manager at Housing Works Cannabis Co. “From the resources we’ve rolled out, to the brands we carefully select for our customers, everything we do here has a greater purpose and we’re humbled to see the support our mission is receiving.”

What did consumers buy most of these past six months? They tend to prefer sativa and sativa-leaning hybrid strains, with flower representing the top-selling product category, Housing Works says. It also found that those who come in seeking edibles typically look for products that promote sleep and mitigate anxiety.

Seeing its popularity, the dispensary added 200 new products to its menu with more from queer-, BIPOC- and women-owned and led companies. Housing Works Cannabis Co. currently carries seven social equity brands, with more coming soon, it says.

Some of these brands include Brelixi, Fat Nell, The Weekenders and Flamer and Drew Martin.

“One unforeseen challenge and a pain point for both retailers and customers has been product rollout,” Nutgent said. “There have been major improvements with the state’s product testing timeline, for example, but the feedback we still hear from some Black-owned brands is that there is not enough funding to get their products into the market.”

We’re here for any brand that boosts BIPOC- and women-owned businesses! You can visit Housing Works Cannabis Co. at 750 Broadway, 11am to 7pm Sundays through Thursdays and from 11am to 9pm on Fridays and Saturdays.

* This article was originally published here

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Reps. Justin Pearson and Justin Jones, who became Democratic heroes as members of the “Tennessee Three,” are hoping to once again reclaim their legislative seats Thursday after they were expelled for involvement in a gun control protest on the House floor.

The young Black lawmakers were both reinstated by local officials, but only on an interim basis. To fully take back their positions, they must advance through a special election. Both easily cleared their primary election in June, and now face general election opponents for districts that heavily favor Democrats.

Jones, who lives in Nashville, is up against Republican candidate Laura Nelson. Meanwhile, Pearson, from Memphis, faces independent candidate Jeff Johnston.

“Let’s send a clear message to everyone who thought they could silence the voice of District 86,” Pearson tweeted earlier this month. “You can’t expel a movement!”

Jones and Pearson were elected to the GOP-dominated Statehouse last year. Both lawmakers flew relatively under the radar, even as they criticized their Republican colleagues’ policies. It wasn’t until this spring that their political careers received a boost when they joined fellow Democrat Rep. Gloria Johnson in a protest for more gun control on the House floor.

The demonstration took place just days after a fatal shooting in Nashville at a private Christian school where a shooter killed three children and three adults. As thousands of protesters flooded the Capitol building to demand that the Republican supermajority enact some sort of restrictions on firearms, the three lawmakers approached the front of the House chamber with a bullhorn, and joined the protesters’ chants and cries for action.

Republican lawmakers quickly declared that their actions violated House rules and moved to expel their three colleagues — an extraordinary move that’s been taken only a handful of times since the Civil War.

The move briefly left about 140,000 voters in primarily Black districts in Nashville and Memphis with no representation in the Tennessee House.

Ultimately, Johnson, who is white, narrowly avoided expulsion while Pearson and Jones were booted by the predominantly white GOP caucus.

House Republican leaders have repeatedly denied that race was a factor in the expulsion hearings. Democrats have disagreed, with Johnson countering that the only reason that she wasn’t expelled was due to her being white.

The expulsions drew national support for the newly dubbed “Tennessee Three,” especially for Pearson and Jones’ campaign fundraising. The two raised more than $2 million combined through about 70,400 campaign donations from across the country. The amount is well beyond the norm for Tennessee’s Republican legislative leaders and virtually unheard of for two freshman Democrats in a superminority.

Meanwhile, more than 15 Republican lawmakers have funneled cash to fund campaign efforts of Jones’ Republican opponent, Laura Nelson. Nelson has raised more than $34,000 for the race. Pearson’s opponent, Jeff Johnston, has raised less than $400 for the contest.

Thursday’s election will also influence two other legislative seats.

In Nashville, community organizer Aftyn Behn and former Metro Councilmember Anthony Davis are currently vying to advance to the general election for a House seat in a district in the city’s northeastern region that opened after Democratic Rep. Bill Beck died in June.

Meanwhile, in eastern Tennessee, Republican Timothy Hill will face Democrat Lori Love in a general election for Republican-leaning District 3. The seat was left empty when former Republican Rep. Scotty Campbell resigned following a finding that he had violated the Legislature’s workplace discrimination and harassment policy.

Hill served in the state House from 2012 until 2020 and rose to the position of majority whip. He later left his seat to run for an open U.S. House seat in 2020, but lost in a crowded primary to current Republican U.S. Rep. Diana Harshbarger.

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* This article was originally published here