Marianna Cursetjee founded Alibi Cannabis after she discovered the plant’s benefits during her successful battle with cancer. After she was prescribed 10 different medications to manage the chemotherapy symptoms, she became overwhelmed with more side effects. Once she found cannabis, it managed her symptoms and drastically improved her state of being during the chemo treatments.
Her introduction to cannabis, being incredibly serious, has heightened the plant’s importance in her life. She wasn’t smoking a joint with her friends; she was fighting for her life with the help of cannabis. She truly understands the medicinal benefits of the plant and the importance of having safe, clean medicine when it is truly needed. These are the tenets on which Alibi was founded: wellness above all else.
Cursetjee bought some land in Oregon and created a cannabis farm so she could work with the plant that captivated her while aiding her during her Chemotherapy treatments. Alibi has now become one of the most popular brands in Oregon, and Cursetjee has her sights set on New York and beyond.
Bringing Alibi Cannabis to New York
New York City is the retail capital of the world, a fact Cursetjee aims to leverage to unlock Alibi’s brand potential. The first drop of their New York City expansion brings three product lineups: an all-in-one vape, infused pre-rolls, and a pre-roll variety pack. The product lineup is simple and accessible, with straightforward products packed with flavor and Alibi’s focus on wellness.
The vapes come in three flavors: peach, watermelon, and raspberry lemonade. Their pre-roll strains include Cherry Diesel, Caramel Cream, and Dream Star. You can find these strains in their pre-roll packs and infused two-packs.
For the New York launch, Cursetjee took Alibi back to the basics with fresh greenhouse-grown flower for their branded products. Alibi is known for premium indoor-grown flower in Oregon, so stepping outside of that was challenging for Cursetejee at first. “I was hesitant at first, but they won me over,” Cursetjee said. The success of this initial launch with the New York team ensures that quality genetics are on the way in 2026. Alibi’s New York cultivation team will continue to refine its greenhouses so everything is on par with Oregon’s operation.
Alibi’s New Beginning
Coming to New York means big things for Cursetjee’s business. Alibi isn’t going through a brand reimagining, more like a brand reinforcing. Everything that makes Alibi great in Oregon will hold in New York, but Cursetjee believes New York’s recreational market will unlock the brand’s full creative potential. Curstejee mentioned Planet Nugg as an example of a NYC dispensary that encompasses everything she loves about a forward-thinking cannabis business that has branding, product, customer experience, and community engagement all at the forefront of what they do.
“I have all of these ideas for the brand, we’re going to be riffing off some things,” Cursetjee said. Using things like digital assets or consumption lounges to take Alibi from just a product-based business and expand it into a lifestyle brand. Cursetjee points out how New York City has the retail experience dialed in compared to anywhere in the Pacific Northwest. NYC is one of the retail capitals of the world, and she wants to use that to Alibi’s advantage.
“I’m excited to create experiences about how cannabis enhances people’s lives,” Cursetjee said.
