Bushwick dispensary one of many that could have to relocate after state's mistake
The rule has always been 500 feet, but the correction now puts 108 dispensaries across the state, including 27 in Brooklyn, at risk of having to relocate.
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A mistake by the state’s Office of Cannabis Management could force some dispensaries to move. It has to do with how far they are from schools — and owners say they followed the rules until the state changed how it measured those distances.
Brooklyn native Arthur Abramov has spent the last three years building his Bushwick dispensary, Stashmaster.
“It’s a rigorous, tedious process and I know I did everything right,” Abramov said.
So he was shocked when he got a letter from the state earlier this month.
“I thought it was like a mistake,” he said. “I told my wife right away, I’m like, 'Babe, I don’t know, someone’s joking with me.'”
The OCM admits it misinterpreted the law — measuring door-to-door, instead of from a school’s property line. The rule has always been 500 feet, but the correction now puts 108 dispensaries across the state, including 27 in Brooklyn, at risk of having to relocate.
Abramov said he has invested more than $500,000 into his business. He’s also locked into a 15-year lease and isn’t sure he could move if required.
“I don’t even want to tell my landlord,” he said. “I don't know if he's gonna see this because he watches the news, hopefully he doesn’t call me after.”
There are two schools nearby — EBC High School and P.S. 274 — and people in Bushwick are split on whether the store should be allowed to stay.
“They should relocate them and help them since they messed up,” said Latisha Simmons.
“You have to move it,” said a man named Anthony. “They have to move.”
“You can’t even walk through without showing your ID,” said Isabelle Crowley. “I don’t think it’s much different than the club being open very late into the corner.”
Abramov believes dispensaries like his should be grandfathered in.
“Otherwise, the OCM are going to deal with a lot of headaches and disgruntled New Yorkers,” he said.
The governor and OCM say they plan to propose a legislative fix in 2026. Until then, dispensary owners like Abramov don’t know what the future holds.
