Officials celebrated the opening of Matawana Dispensary, the first Black woman-owned legal cannabis dispensary in Brooklyn, on Thursday.
Photo courtesy of Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office
Brooklyn’s first dispensary owned by a Black woman opened in Park Slope on Thursday as honor Mayor Eric Adams pledged to crack down on illegal weed stores in New York City.
Adams joined East New York resident Leeann Mata to celebrate her new shop, Matawana Cannabis Dispensary, at 5th Avenue and 14th Street. Matawana is the sixth legal dispensary to open in Kings County after the state resolved a long legal battle that held up licensing — the borough’s first legal retail marijuana store opened in Gravesend just over two months ago.
“I am encouraged to see the quickening pace of legal retail dispensary openings in the city and thank our colleagues at Cannabis NYC and the Office of Cannabis Management for all that they are doing to support the growth of the local market,” said Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce Maria Torres-Springer, in a statement.
New York’s cannabis law prioritizes leveling the field for people most impacted by marijuana prohibition — which includes Mata and her family.
Her father was assaulted and arrested for marijuana offenses, Mata said at a press conference on Thursday, and three of her five brothers also have past marijuana charges as a result of stop-and-frisk policies.
“We were just college students with anxiety, and wanted a way out,” she said. “We also wanted a way to not have to take medication but use natural herbs.”
Matawana’s website is stocked with marijuana flower, pre-rolls, edibles and infused drinks, and topical THC balms meant to soothe aching muscles and moisturize skin.
Mata has hired 21 young employees, she said, and was glad to be able to offer them a living wage and a means to support their families.
“Draconian prohibition laws cost my…
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