When New York legalized recreational cannabis in 2021 illegal smoke shops began popping up on every corner. Now, those businesses are being shuttered, paving the way for legitimate dispensaries.
One place where Bronxites can find safe legal weed is in Pelham Bay. In April, Hibernica, located at 3220 Westchester Ave., became Pelham Bay’s first legal recreational cannabis dispensary. On Sept. 5, it began delivering to all of the Bronx and the southern portions of Westchester County.
Located by the Pelham Bay Park subway station, Hibernica will increase Bronx residents’ access to tested, NY-grown cannabis products, while also giving back to the community—as a portion of all sales are donated to The Bronx Community Foundation.
The Bronx’s first legal dispensary, Statis Cannabis Co., opened in Crotona in July 2023. Hibernica marks the ninth dispensary in the borough.
“It feels like a dream job,” said Hibernica Inventory Manager Chris Ortiz. “My wife asks me how was work and I say work was great. I love my job. You have become part of the community. You’re no longer their dealer. You’re a businessman.”
Ortiz and General Manager Bojan Trpcevski sat down with the Bronx Times to discuss the industry, Hibernica, the benefits of marijuana and more. Trpcevski, 41, who had been in the hospitality industry for several years, said the COVID-19 pandemic forced him to pivot careers.
He saw weed was going to be legalized in New York and knew it was carpe diem or get left behind. So, he went to a couple weed farms in California, where it was already legal and learned the ins and outs of the industry.
“That was a very unique experience,” he said. “I was in the middle of the woods, and I had a sense of euphoria.”
The duo said it was a long process for Hibernica to open its doors. They had to jump through a lot of bureaucratical red tape and wait nine months to get the license to sell recreational weed.
Dispensaries need to have cameras in every corner of the store, all of its weed gets tested in a lab, identification is checked by a computer and there is both a 13 percent excise tax (9 percent state and 4 percent local) on cannabis sales (paid by consumers and remitted by retailer) and a potency-based tax (remitted by distributors) in New York.
Prior to opening, Trpcevski spoke at Community Board 10 about Hibernica where he was not met with a warm reception. He said many people have misperceptions about marijuana and it was important to educate residents about it.
“I think it [marijuana] comes with a stigma of being a drug,” Ortiz said. “It’s slowly being addressed and there’s definitely some misinformation flying around. Most people aren’t interested in what makes it a drug and how it functions.”
Ortiz, 31, who has been involved with cannabis since his early 20s, said marijuana is not a gateway drug. Ganja, he said, helped with college, sleeping, going to the gym, being social and the overall stress of life in New York City.
He did some research about marijuana and quickly it changed his life. He discovered unlike crack or heroine there was no physical addiction and he was able to be active.
“I used to be fat, but then I started running, going out and playing basketball,” Ortiz said.
Trpcevski not only saw weed grown in California, but observed firsthand how it medically can help people. When his father, who is a cancer survivor, first began chemotherapy, Trpcevski suggested he use cannabis for the pain. His dad looked at him like he was crazy.
“He didn’t want to listen and then after a while, he spoke with a friend who was a doctor and told him the same thing,” Trpcevski said. Eventually, his father gave in and began using weed to ease his pain.
The duo told the Bronx Times while many people may go to smoke shops because they are cheaper, the legitimate dispensaries are the safer option. Smoke shops don’t sell product that has been tested in a lab in accordance with state regulations, and, according to Ortiz, always tell customers “their weed is fire.”
“They [smoke shops] are street dealers, but just in a store,” Ortiz said. “They are going to keep getting closed because the state wants that revenue.”
Hibernica is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. It offers cannabis products such as gummies, vapes, pre-rolls, edibles and accessories. The staff has got to know the community members well and helps them pick certain strands of weed that cater to their needs.
Ortiz hopes the media and public will talk more about what dispensaries provide and not the negativity surrounding smoke shops.
“I thought it was going to be a little harder to establish ourselves in the neighborhood given the pushback we had before we opened,” he said. “But it has exceeded my expectations and they [the community] has been really welcoming.”
Jason Cohen is a former staff writer for the Bronx Times.
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Pelham Bay’s first legal cannabis dispensary expands access, offering delivery across the Bronx – Bronx Times
