THC Drinks and Summer Sales Surge at Geneva Dispensary

Daryl Hilkert — High Points Dispensary

July 14, 2026 Paul Szmal 6:47

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

Summer is bringing more than just heat to High Points Dispensary in Geneva — it’s also bringing a surge in customers, with cannabis-infused drinks among the hottest sellers of the season.

Daryl Hilkert, who oversees High Points Dispensary at 5 and 20 in Geneva (next to Denny’s), stopped by the FLX Morning Podcast to talk summer business, product safety, and the shop’s planned second location in Palmyra.

Hilkert said July has been noticeably busier than other months, attributing the uptick not just to warm weather but to the influx of vacationers who visit the Finger Lakes region each summer. Cannabis-infused drinks have been a particular hit this time of year, offering customers what Hilkert describes as a mellow alternative to alcohol on a hot day. The drinks are dosed at 10 milligrams of THC — the state-mandated single-serving limit in New York — roughly equivalent to one gummy or one piece of chocolate. Lower-dose options are also available for those who want to consume more without overindulging.

Hilkert offered a few safety reminders for customers enjoying cannabis products in the summer heat. Vape cartridges can leak when exposed to high temperatures, and edibles like gummies and chocolates can melt. He urged customers not to leave products in their vehicles, noting that interior car temperatures can reach 130 to 140 degrees when it’s 95 outside. “Consume responsibly, know your limits, be safe out there,” he said.

High Points carries more than 800 products across categories including pre-rolls, edibles, and vapes. Hilkert said staff are trained to ask questions and guide first-time visitors, who are often overwhelmed by the variety available. Customers can shop online at highpointsdispensary.net and pick up orders through a drive-thru window — a convenient option for parents with kids in the car or anyone looking to beat the heat.

As for a second location in Palmyra, Hilkert said the project has hit a regulatory snag with New York State. The shop is currently working to obtain a permit to open a showcase-style storefront in the village, similar to how the Geneva location got its start. He said local officials in Palmyra are eager for the business to open, but navigating state licensing remains a challenge.

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Paul Szmal: Daryl Hilkert, our correspondent of all things cannabinoid, joins us now from High Points Dispensary, which you can find on 5 and 20 in Geneva, right next to Denny's. Morning.

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

Paul Szmal: We're doing good. We're doing good. How was the 4th of July, man?

Guest: Oh, really good. Weather's been great. It's been pretty warm out there lately, so we're taking advantage of all that, and yeah, weather's been kicking us, so keep cool out there.

Paul Szmal: Do you find that you sell more product when it's hot or when it's cold?

Guest: I think the products are going to sell year-round. I think with school letting out and some vacationers in the area, you know, the Finger Lakes region is very popular for vacationers, so we do get to see a lot more people from out of town and stuff, so I don't know if it's the weather, but definitely July's definitely picked up for us, so that's a plus.

Paul Szmal: Is there more, like, sodas, drinks going out the door this time of year?

Guest: Yeah, yeah. A lot of people are definitely enjoying the drinks right now. They're an alternative to alcohol, something nice and mellow you can just sip on on a nice hot day.

Paul Szmal: Right, right. Now, do the drinks, are they similar to some of the other product that there are THC and non-THC varieties?

Guest: The drinks are a low-dose 10-milligram THC. It's very similar to taking, like, one gummy or one piece of chocolate, which is one dose for New York. You know, half of a dose would be a 5-milligram. There are some drinks lower-dose if you don't want to, if you want to be able to consume more without over-consuming the THC.

Paul Szmal: Yeah, and, you know, that's a thing, too, in the hot weather is you got to be careful with the amount that you're taking, right?

Guest: Yeah. The hot weather, you know, can enhance anything out there, and you also got to be careful with your products. The vapes can get really hot and leak. Your gummies, your chocolates can all melt. So yeah, having the hot heat that we've had and keeping anything in your vehicles or anything like that, we try to remind everybody as they're leaving on these hot days to, you know, don't forget and leave it in your car.

Paul Szmal: Right, right. Yeah, my wife always yells at me, don't leave your lighter in the car in the summertime because you don't want that thing going boom, you know?

Guest: Yeah, you never know. It gets really hot in the vehicles. I mean, that's why it's so bad for kids or pets or anything to be in vehicles when they're closed. When it's 95 outside, it's 130, 140 in that vehicle.

Paul Szmal: Yeah, I mean, even if you put something in the glove compartment, you're like, oh, it's not out in the sun. Well, you know what? It's just as hot in there as it is the rest of the car, so.

Guest: Absolutely.

Paul Szmal: I know you like to, you've been a bike enthusiast for how many years now?

Guest: Probably, well, I'm going to age myself here, but 40 plus years, yeah.

Paul Szmal: Yeah, yeah. So, I mean, this is your time of year, man.

Guest: Oh, yeah, yeah. The bikes are out, boats are out. We just like to remind everybody, consume responsibly. Everybody likes to partake here and there. Just know your limits. Everybody has a different limit, just like alcohol. Consume responsibly, be safe out there.

Paul Szmal: And as you said, the dose, 10 milligrams, is mandated by the state.

Guest: Yeah, it's very similar to how they dose a shot of whiskey to a can of beer. Very similar, that's very similar to 10 milligrams of THC.

Paul Szmal: Do you think that baseline will ever change?

Guest: No, I think that's a really good baseline because, you know, some people can take 50 milligrams, 100 milligrams, and not affect them as much as some people that take 5 milligrams. Everybody's body chemistry is a little bit different, so it's going to hit everyone a little bit different.

Paul Szmal: Any new products on the shelf to tell people?

Guest: There's new products all the time. I mean, it just, it's... You know, it amazes me because I ask you this question every time, and you generally have the same answer of like, yeah, I mean, it's just new after new after new.

Paul Szmal: It's kind of like technology in that respect, where something comes out, and then six months later, okay, well, here's the improvement on that something.

Guest: Yeah, and a lot of stuff is getting people to understand the different products that are out there now, and to, you know, sometimes you got to try them to see what they're all about. Some people really like them, some people might not. But that's why we try to educate our employees so that they can actually point you in the right direction. I know we ask a lot of questions when you walk in the door, but when you got 800 plus products, you know, we don't want to bore you, and we don't want to overwhelm you, but a lot of people for their first time in are very overwhelmed, even if they're just looking for a pre-roll. I mean, there's 100 different pre-rolls. If they're looking for an edible, there's 100 different edibles. So there's just a big, vast variety of stuff out there now, and we try to have something for everybody.

Paul Szmal: Yeah, and that's important to be able to explain to people, okay, this is what you're getting. This is the expected effect. This is the dosage. If you're looking for something that does say something a little different, okay, well, you need to go to this product or this product line.

Guest: Yeah, I mean, some people might get anxiety. Some people are looking for something for pain. Somebody might want something to help with sleep, and some people just want to get high.

Paul Szmal: Right, right, and there's different applications for all of those.

Guest: Absolutely.

Paul Szmal: All right. How are you coming in Palmyra?

Guest: Palmyra is there. We've got a little setback with the state, as expected. We are trying right now to get a permit to start with a showcase, very similar to what we did over here on 5 and 20, to at least get the doors open and start selling some products in the village over there. I know the mayor and everybody over there is really chomping at the bit for us to get open, but when you're dealing with New York State, it's always a crap shot with them. Even being licensed, it's still an issue.

Paul Szmal: I remember all the flaming hoops you jumped through just to get the Geneva store over here.

Guest: Yeah, and we just jumped right back in the fire again.

Paul Szmal: Glutton for punishment.

Guest: Yeah.

Paul Szmal: Website, by the way. Highpointsdispensary.net. Come on in there. You can shop online. If you shop online, pay for it. You can pick it up in the drive-thru window if it's too hot for you to get out of your car. If you've got kids with you, school's out, all that good stuff, you're still able to shop and pick up your products and enjoy.

Guest: All right.

Paul Szmal: Good to see you as always, man.

Guest: Thank you. Thanks, Paul.