You may have noticed, over the past few years, a proliferation of CBD shops opening up all over our region. The growth of the business has been exponential since 2018, when the federal Farm Bill legalized hemp-derived cannabinoids with no more than .3 percent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content. Annual CBD (cannabidiol) sales in the US had already hit $4.6 billion by 2020, according to Forbes magazine.
Millions have already discovered the therapeutic benefits of CBD. Most typically ingested in the form of gummies, it’s used for pain relief and to treat sleep disorders, anxiety and ADHD. It can also be added to teas, applied topically or even added to bathwater. It doesn’t contain enough THC to get you high, but it can elevate mood.
At present, CBD is available mainly by mail order and in small specialty shops; the large chains are waiting for the federal government to greenlight the regulation of CBD as a dietary supplement. This will enable more stringent oversight of the production process and better quality control. What’s holding up the works is the fact that in 2018, the US Food and Drug Administration approved an epilepsy drug called Epidiolex whose active ingredient is CBD, thereby kicking the substance into the pharmaceutical category, precluding its classification as a supplement. The FDA’s Science Board has been revisiting that Catch-22, but the conflict hasn’t yet been resolved.
While the big corporations wait to pounce, CBD boutiques in New York State are not only making their presence known, but also positioning themselves to transform into recreational cannabis dispensaries as soon as licenses are handed out by the Office of Cannabis Management. The first 36 license recipients were announced on November 21. None has yet been approved in our region, however. Applications in the mid-Hudson and four other regions – 63 of them altogether – have been frozen by a court injunction in response to a lawsuit by the owner of a Michigan-based startup company called Variscite NY One, Inc.
To discourage carpetbagging, the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act passed in March 2021 deliberately limited licensing to New York residents or companies or not-for-profit organizations that already have a presence in the State. It has also set a goal of granting half the licenses to people adversely impacted by selective enforcement of former drug laws in New York, as well as to minority- and women-owned businesses, distressed farmers and combat-disabled veterans.
Variscite was not registered to do business in New York until this August, after the application window opened. The startup’s owner, who has applied to open dispensaries in the mid-Hudson as well as Brooklyn, the Finger Lakes, central and western New York, is arguing that this regulation is an unconstitutional restriction on interstate commerce. He is also seeking preferential treatment because he has had a marijuana conviction – but it was in Michigan, not New York. US District Court judge Gary Sharpe issued the injunction on November 10, which means that we are now in the midst of a 60-day comment period on the lawsuit.
Courtney Beaupre, the proprietor of Honey’s Cannabis CBD and Accessories in Gardiner, is getting ready to submit her license application in the second round, which will probably happen in late February or early March. As a woman-owned business, Honey’s qualifies for top-tier review. But, given that no licenses are likely to be released before spring to mid-Hudson applicants even if they passed first-round scrutiny, she has to bide her time – and focus on selling hemp-derived products that don’t require that level of authorization.
A visit to Honey’s demonstrates clearly that Beaupre, a 17-year resident of Gardiner whose day job is licensed mental health counselor with Gateway Hudson Valley, has been using that time well. The shop, which opened in August, is located in the middle of the Gardiner hamlet, in the shop behind Pasquale’s Pizzeria that used to house Lightsey Cycles. You’d never know that the space was ever used for bicycle sales and repair: Gone are the orange-and-purple painted walls, the industrial vibe. Nor does its décor match what one might expect of a future recreational pot shop; there are no Lava Lamps, paisley wallpaper or black-light posters. It’s now tastefully redecorated in muted colors, with sisal rugs on the floor, handmade wooden shelving on the walls, tall reeds displayed in earthenware pots and a cozy seating area in the front corner. There’s something wafting in the air that smells like aromatherapy of some sort, but it’s very subtle.
This calming atmosphere is perfect for the wares that Honey’s is currently selling. The bulk of the stock consists of CBD edibles – “most of them Hudson Valley-made,” says Beaupre. Local suppliers include High Falls Hemp, Hepworth Farms in Milton, Urban Extracts in Warwick and even the New Paltz-based vegan chocolatier Lagusta’s Luscious, which manufactures a line of CBD caramels under the label Softer Power Sweets. Beaupre points out that CBD gummies are available in different formulations, with those high in terpines being best for energizing and focus, while others are designed more for relaxation and sleep.
There’s a line of teas with CBD from Harney & Sons in Millerton, a variety of tinctures, capsules, topical lotions for aches and pains, bath bombs – even whole dried CBD flowers that look and smell like less-pungent buds of marijuana, which can be smoked or made into tea or edibles. Smoking accessories, such as paper cones and “doob tubes” for prerolled joints, are already on sale. “We try to stay away from smoking as a wellness benefit,” Beaupre notes, however.
That will change, of course, once Honey’s gets its recreational cannabis dispensary license. So will the shop itself: “The whole space is going to be gutted and the ceiling taken out.” The high value of the merchandise and the volume of cash turnover will require much more security infrastructure, including a buzz-in entry where customers will need to show ID, “a buildout in the back with a large safe, and cameras on every inch of everything.” Beaupre hopes to have a walk-up window in the back as well, not to mention a home-delivery service.
The showroom will be redesigned for display of cannabis products in three separate “stations,” with a knowledgeable “budtender” presiding over each. Using existing dispensaries in Massachusetts as a business model, Beaupre plans to put up flatscreen TVs displaying the daily menu and pricing. The budtenders will offer one-on-one advice based on the customer’s level of experience and tolerance for THC, following the modern industry standard of “Start low and go slow.” Rank beginners will be steered toward seltzers containing 2.5 milligrams of THC per serving, which is half the dose of a “starter” gummy. “We want people to have the ability to consume or try it with the feeling that you know what you’re getting, that it has been highly regulated and tested,” she says.
Beaupre was originally drawn to Gardiner as a rock-climber, and she began using CBD products to relieve muscle and joint pain. She has done her homework and can explain anything you might want to know about the properties of the different types of cannabinoids, the “entourage effect” or what terpines do. Honey’s website, www.honeyscannabis.com, also offers a wealth of information in its Consumer Education section. With luck, within a few months she’ll need to hire a train a larger staff with similar expertise in products that contain varying levels of THC.
“The next year is going to be very interesting,” says Beaupre. “I’ve got my fingers crossed. I’m going to be ready.”
Honey’s Cannabis CBD and Accessories is located at 133 Main Street (Route 44/55) in Gardiner; enter through the Pasquale’s parking lot, or from Farmers’ Turnpike in the rear. It will be open six days a week once it becomes a recreational cannabis dispensary, but for now the hours of operation are Friday from 5 to 8 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Products can also be ordered online, and delivery can be arranged. For more information, call (845) 382-9127, e-mail honeyscannabis@gmail.com, or visit www.honeyscannabis.com or https://m.facebook.com/honeyscbd.