High Points Dispensary Eyes Palmyra Opening, Navigates State Red Tape

Darryl Hilkert — High Points Dispensary

June 9, 2026 Paul Szmal 5:19

The logo for High Points Dispensary, a cannabis retailer in the Finger Lakes region.

The owner of High Points Dispensary in Geneva says a second location in Palmyra is in the works, but the timeline remains uncertain as the business waits on approvals from New York State’s Office of Cannabis Management.

Darryl Hilkert, who operates High Points Dispensary at Route 5 and 20 in Geneva near Denny’s, joined the FLX Morning Podcast on June 9 to talk about what’s new at the store and what lies ahead for the region’s cannabis retail landscape.

Hilkert said the Palmyra building has come along nicely but that getting licensed through the OCM has been a frustrating repeat of the process he went through two and a half years ago when he opened the Geneva location. “Still get automated reply emails — just not that solid person to call and talk to,” he said. “And you’d think after being open two and a half years, you’d have somebody you could at least directly communicate with.”

On the product side, Hilkert said new brands continue to approach the store weekly, offering everything from edibles and pre-rolls to flower. While having options is a positive for consumers, he expressed concern that the state has issued so many cultivator and processor licenses that the market is becoming oversaturated. He predicted a shakeout is coming, noting that brands not properly tracking their products — as required under state law — are unlikely to last.

Hilkert also addressed home growing rules for listeners curious about personal cultivation. Under current New York State law, adults may grow up to six plants per person, with a maximum of 12 plants per household for two adults. Of those, no more than three per person can be in the flowering stage at one time. A state cultivator’s license is required for anyone growing with intent to distribute.

With summer outdoor recreation season underway, Hilkert reminded customers to consume responsibly, drawing a parallel to alcohol use around boating and motorcycling.

High Points Dispensary is open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. The shop is located on Route 5 and 20 in Geneva.

Read Full Transcript

Paul Szmal: Daryl Hilkert is here from High Points Dispensary on 5 and 20 in Geneva by Denny's. Welcome back.

Guest: Hey, Paul. How are we doing today?

Paul Szmal: Doing good. Doing good. What's new and exciting, man?

Guest: Oh, you know, all kinds of stuff in the cannabis world. Grow season's upon us here. Hopefully, everybody's following the rules and regulations and enjoying their own grow crops and doing it the right way. You can have six plants per person, two people per household. So you can have up to 12 plants, of course, three in veg and three in, you know, the grow stage. You can't have six full term at the same time per person. So follow the rules and regulations and you can grow them right in your front yard now.

Paul Szmal: Has there been any changes in those regulations since the start of the year or did they stay consistent?

Guest: I think they're pretty consistent with the actual growing part of it, but, you know, they haven't really changed much on that. And then, of course, there's a completely different set of rules if you are growing to distribute.

Paul Szmal: Oh, yeah. You do have to have a New York State cultivator's license to distribute.

Guest: Right.

Paul Szmal: Right. Yeah. It's just for personal use.

Guest: OK.

Paul Szmal: OK. Anything new at the stores, man?

Guest: Just dealing with New York State on the Palmyra store. You know, we're going to start jumping through the hoops again. You know, the no communication and, you know, the lack of everything on the business side of the OCM when it comes to trying to deal with them. It's two and a half years ago, we did the same thing. Still get automated reply emails, you know, just not that solid person to call and talk to. And you'd think, you know, after being open two and a half years, you'd have somebody you could at least directly communicate with.

Paul Szmal: Now, I remember all the hoops you had to jump through to get the initial location here in Geneva open.

Guest: Yeah, it was kind of crazy. And they kind of made a start right from the beginning for the Palmyra store. Now, also, it's like starting all over from the beginning with a whole new business. So we're progressing, but not as fast as we would like to. The building's come along real nice, hoping to get open soon. But there again, we're at the mercy of New York State.

Paul Szmal: Yeah, unfortunately, we're talking with Darrell Hilker from High Points Dispensary here on FLX Morning. So what's new on the product front? Because it seems like every time you come in, I'll ask you about new products and you're like, oh, yeah, there's more new stuff coming in. It seems like it's never ending.

Guest: It is. Here still, we get multiple brands still trying to get in every single week. We have people calling, stopping in, showing us their products. A lot of the same similar products, but different brands. So everyone's going to have their own little niche, you know, whether it's edibles or consumables, flour, free rolls.

Paul Szmal: Is it a good thing to have that much choice as a vendor, as someone who is selling the products to the public? Is it good to have this many choices?

Guest: It's nice to have a lot of choices, but I think what's happening is they've given out so many licenses to the processors and cultivators. Now there's such an overabundance. I think it's going to pull full circle like it did before, you know, before there was so much product and no places for them to distribute it. Then the stores started opening. Now there's so many stores open and then they couldn't keep up with the product. Now there's so much product again that it's just overloaded through the state.

Paul Szmal: You think there might be, for lack of a better term, pardon the pun, a weeding out process?

Guest: Well, you know, some people just don't get how they're supposed to run legit. And we see all kinds of stuff. Some people still come in with products for samples and everything's supposed to be tracked now.

Paul Szmal: Right.

Guest: So if the people aren't tracking, doing it properly, then you know they're not going to be around for a long time. And then it's on you as the store that, you know, if somebody comes in that's not following the legit rules, you don't want to have that product in the store.

Paul Szmal: Yeah, no, it's a crazy world out there. Half the people do the stuff the right way and half of them are still trying to figure it out. Well, you've got it figured out for sure.

Guest: We do our best, yes.

Paul Szmal: So if you want to check the place out, what hours are you open again?

Guest: Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sundays, noon to 6.

Paul Szmal: Okay. We want to remind everybody to consume responsibly out there. Motorcycle season's upon us, boating season's upon us.

Guest: Oh, yeah.

Paul Szmal: So I think everybody to consume responsibly, same as having a few drinks, a little too much smoke can put you off on la-la land, so be safe out there.