After months of preparation, cousins Levent Ozkurt and Denis Ozkurt passed their compliance inspection, the final step to open up their state-regulated cannabis dispensary at 2460 Williamsbridge Road — almost.
They passed “with flying colors,” on Aug. 3 and were even given a sticker to put on the window with a QR code signaling a legitimate license, Levent Ozkurt told the Bronx Times. All they needed was the actual license, which they were told would land in their email within two days.
But the Allerton business owners never got the license, and didn’t know why until they heard about a court injunction on the news, in which Judge Kevin Bryant prohibited New York state from continuing to allow dispensaries to open last week. The freeze is part of a lawsuit against the state Cannabis Control Board and Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) that was filed in Albany Supreme Court just one day before the Ozkurts’ inspection. The plaintiffs, a group of service-disabled veterans, are contesting the state’s rollout of recreational cannabis dispensary licenses — which have only been made available to people with prior marijuana convictions and their families, as well as nonprofits that serve the formerly incarcerated population.
On Tuesday, state officials requested the judge to allow 30 dispensaries to open that they said have already met the requirements for licensing. The Ozkurts’ shop is the only one from the Bronx that made the list.
And lucky for them, it was also one of 23 the judge granted the exemption for on Friday morning.
The Ozkurts’ license is under the name New York City Cannabis Emporium, but their new shop is called Hush — a nod to the “hush hush” nature of the dispensaries, Levent Ozkurt told the Bronx Times.
In line with state regulations, the windows of the shop are tinted black from the outside so no products can be seen, and there are no ads on the exterior, just a simple sign with the business name and hours of…
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