NY to Open First Adult-Use Cannabis Dispensary in the Southern Tier

The first of the Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary licenses in the Southern Tier will open in Binghamton. The opening of the store is part of New York State’s Seeding Opportunity Initiative, which prioritizes providing licenses to people with a cannabis conviction or a close relative of someone with one, and non-profits that serve justice-involved individuals. The planning board in Binghamton gave its final approval Tuesday, clearing the way for the store to open Friday.

“With the opening of new dispensaries like Just Breathe in Binghamton, we continue to expand the nation’s most equitable and inclusive cannabis industry here in New York,” Governor Kathy Hochul said. “New York remains committed to supporting independent business dispensary owners, New York farmers who poured their heart into their harvest, and every adult who wants to enjoy legally purchased cannabis in and from the Empire State.”

The dispensary opening in Binghamton – Just Breathe at 75 Court Street – will be owned and operated by a partnership between entrepreneur, Damien Cornwell and the Non-Profit Broome County Urban League. Cornwell has helped to spearhead initiatives with the BCUL, providing justice-involved individuals with resources, education and pathways to careers over the past two decades. The store will open in the same location as a currently licensed cannabinoid hemp retailer. A first in the Southern Tier, the licensed dispensary will open for customers in the heart of a revitalized Binghamton downtown with products sourced from farmers in the area and across New York State.