It isn’t legal to sell weed in New York right now. However, entrepreneurs are using loopholes to skirt around the issue by utilizing “gifting.”
The Act Alone is a Statement Against the War on Drugs
Crafty businesspeople aiming to give back to the community are “selling” recreational cannabis with “suggested donations” starting at $20. In return, the person giving the donation is rewarded with a complimentary gift of cannabis.
Right now, the most well-known “gifting store” in Manhattan is nothing more than a trailer parked on the side of a bustling intersection. People can receive raw cannabis or edibles in exchange for their generosity. Although its appearance may be unassuming, don’t be fooled. Business is booming, and Uncle Budd’s is using its success to give back to its neighborhood.
Photo by Robert Bye on Unsplash
Technically, These Stores are Giving Away Their Cannabis
“We don’t sell anything,” said a register operator at Uncle Budd’s weed truck, anonymously. “Every donation is going back into the community.”
He said Uncle Budd’s organizes charitable events. For Thanksgiving, they gave away turkeys. Their team is also working to educate the community about the health benefits of cannabis. Most importantly, they’re creating jobs. The owner is hiring more than 10 local residents every two weeks.
The Black-owned business has made it a priority to hire individuals who have been arrested for drug-dealing offenses in the past.
“Now that it’s turning legal, we’re trying to do it the correct way,” he says on behalf of the growing company.
However, it is Still Illegal to Operate This Way in the State of New York
“Illegal cannabis sales include the concept of ‘gifting,’ where consumers are purportedly buying a tangential service or commodity and getting their cannabis as a gift,” writes Freeman Klopott, spokesperson for the New York State Office of Cannabis Management, in an email to Rolling Stone. “There is no ‘grey area’ in the law on this issue.”
The state’s new governing bodies in charge of cannabis rules and regulations say that the gifting exchanges at Uncle Budd’s and throughout New York are not the “correct way” to distribute cannabis. According to the government, they certainly aren’t lawful — yet.
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