Tanka Asongna-Morfaw and Dr. George Tabi Jr. grew up on opposite sides of the Bronx, but each witnessed the effect that over-policing and rampant enforcement of cannabis had on their borough.
A 2012 arrest for marijuana possession could’ve derailed Asongna-Morfaw’s prospects — a journey that led him to become a certified pharmacy technician and real estate broker. Instead, he and Tabi — the latter who started a CBD company with rapper Flo Rida in 2019 — are well-positioned to build a physical cannabis retail brand, Common Courtesy Dispensary, in the Bronx.
“This is full-circle,” said Asongna-Morfaw. “I got arrested for having such a small amount, but in a way it’s created this predicament where we can change the social stigma of cannabis, and also educate others on the health benefits of cannabis.”
Asonga-Morfaw is one of nine Bronx dispensary operators granted legal licenses earlier this week by the state Cannabis Control Board. However, months after the city opened its first dispensary in the East Village on Dec. 29, the Bronx is still without a single physical storefront.
As of April 6, 16 out of a possible 20 Bronx licenses have been granted.
Trivette Knowles, a public affairs officer at the state Office of Cannabis Management (OCM), told the Bronx Times in an interview Wednesday that the agency is doing what it can to ensure an equitable licensing process in the borough.
“I would say we are doing as much as possible,” Knowles said, noting that there are a lot of moving parts when it comes to the state-sanctioned cannabis market. “We have to do our part, which is licensing.”
For the Bronx’s Conditional-Adult Use Recreation Dispensary (CAURD) licensees, the road to a physical retail location has its roadblocks, such as examining vacant commercial spaces to operate, and ensuring that their business aligns with that area’s zoning requirements.
From the time of licensure, Knowles said, it generally takes a minimum of two…
Read the full article here