NugHub co-founder Michael (Mo) Gertelman behind the wheel of specially modified cannabis delivery vehicle. (Tom Wrobleski/Staten Island Advance)Tom Wrobleski/Staten Island Advance
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – Don’t want to go to a dispensary to get your marijuana?
The NugHub dispensary in Port Richmond will bring the product to you.
Founded by Michael Gertelman and Jon Cohen, who grew up together in Willowbrook, NugHub opened last month and was the first marijuana delivery service on Staten Island.
NugHub already delivers on Staten Island and Brooklyn, but Gertelman said the company’s strives to be the go-to for marijuana product delivery in all the boroughs and on Long Island.
“We want to be known for delivery,” said Gertelman, known as Mo. “We can serve the whole city rather than just Staten Island. That’s our goal. We don’t want to restrict ourselves.”
NugHub is currently working out of a delivery warehouse space in Port Richmond while their storefront dispensary is being built out.
Under state regulations, dispensaries need specially modified vehicles in order to do cannabis delivery, Gertelman said.
The unmarked vehicles include a camera, and the back doors and windows do not open in order to protect the drivers. The rear area of the vehicle, where product for delivery is kept, is separated from the front seat by a metal mesh divider.
NugHub currently has three delivery vehicles on the road and makes deliveries from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
Gertelman said NugHub is already getting repeat customers and customers who were referred to the dispensary by others who have used the service.
“Those are good things to hear,” said Gertelman.
NugHub cannabis dispensary co-founders Michael (Mo) Gertelman, left, and Jon Cohen grew up together in Willowbrook. (Tom Wrobleski/Staten Island Advance)Tom Wrobleski/Staten Island Advance
NugHub’s launch was delayed by the injunction that for a time kept new marijuana dispensaries from opening in New York state.
While that hurdle has been overcome, obstacles remain, including the proliferation of illegal weed shops.
“That’s our biggest challenge right now,” said Cohen.
Younger users in particular, said Gertelman, “unfortunately go to these shops that are illegal. It’s hard to compete.”
He said that the state Office of Cannabis Management and the NYPD need to crack down on the illegal shops.
“The more the word gets out about all the legal shops out there, the better for the whole industry,” said Gertelman.
Legal cannabis sales are strictly controlled.
Cohen said that NugHub pays tens of thousands of dollars just to maintain compliance with the state in addition to taxes and the premiums paid by the owners and the customers for legal product.
Every marijuana item that comes into the dispensary has to be entered into NugHub’s point-of-sale system and accounted for.
Cohen, who worked for City MD for a decade, said the regulation of the weed industry is akin to what he saw in the health care field.
“It’s strict,” said Gertelman. “We can’t be off by one. If it’s off by one, we have to search through the whole inventory and find what item we’re missing.”
Because marijuana is still illegal under federal law, marijuana firms have found it difficult to find banking partners, even though recreational weed is legal in 24 states and medicinal marijuana is legal in 38 states.
“Most banks won’t do business with us,” said Gertelman, who said NugHub tried to partner with Island banks but found no takers.
Federal and state laws also make it hard for New York marijuana businesses to advertise. Ads cannot be placed on Facebook, and state law prohibits NugHub from putting up billboards. Their delivery vehicles cannot be branded.
“There are a lot of legal hurdles,” said Cohen.
Gertelman and Cohen grew up around the corner from each other in Willowbrook and started NugHub on their own with financial help from friends and family.
“We’re doing it local,” Cohen said. “Staten Island is important to us.”
The dispensary offers a variety of marijuana products that can be smoked or vaped, including loose marijuana flower and pre-rolled joints.
THC-infused chocolate hearts are among the speciality items offered by the NugHub cannabis dispensary in Port Richmond. (Tom Wrobleski/Staten Island Advance)Tom Wrobleski/Staten Island Advance
For those who don’t want to smoke, there are sparkling waters, coffees, tea sachets, cider and lemonade that contain THC.
NugHub also offers a variety of marijuana gummies, chocolates, honeys, pills, infused flower concentrates, oils, and massage and lip balms.
“Our goal is just like any other retail business: cater to what customers are looking for,” said Cohen.
There are mints branded “Senior Moments,” which come in a smaller dosage and are designed for older users.
Other products can be added to beverages or spread on toast. NugHub also offers Kosher marijuana products.
“We want to offer as big a variety as we can for everybody so that they have a choice,” said Gertelman. “You don’t have to smoke.”
A majority of NugHub’s customers are over the age of 40, the founders said.
NugHub co-founder Michael (Mo) Gertelman with bags of cannabis product ready for delivery. (Tom Wrobleski/Staten Island Advance)Tom Wrobleski/Staten Island Advance
“I think surprisingly it’s skewing older,” said Cohen. “There were probably more people that weren’t connected to the market in terms of having a local dealer that they felt comfortable going to.”
He said, “Now they have a quality product that’s been tested, they get delivery to their home with anonymity, the kind of things that maybe a more mature customer would appreciate.”
As for the marketplace today, Gertelman said that NugHub customers for the most part want to smoke or vape marijuana, or consume gummies.
“Our goal is to just keep building,” Gertelman said. “This is a long game. It’s the beginning of an industry.”
To order from NugHub, go to their website at nughubny.com or call 718-530-0273.
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Weed on wheels: Staten Island's NugHub wants to be go-to for cannabis delivery in NYC, Long Island – SILive.com
