Approximately 99 new adult-use marijuana dispensaries are set to open their doors across New York state, including several locations in New York City.  

For Coss Marte, he and his partners are excited to open their dispensary ConBud. Marte’s journey to opening this business started over two years ago, but it’s not his only business venture – he also owns a gym located on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, and his partners own multiple Bronx restaurants.  

Marte spoke during a hearing hosted by the state’s Cannabis Control Board, who approved these new licenses. He was jailed when he was younger due to marijuana-related offenses, and says he feels a weight lifted off of his shoulders now that he is an entrepreneur in the budding industry.  

“I’m looking to open up as soon as possible, just keep the same mentality…keep the righteous path, do the right thing,” said Marte. “Work super, super hard, and create one of the biggest brands coming out of New York state.” 

Marte not only wants to offer marijuana, but a chance for those who have been released from prison. He says he has hired former inmates to work at his gym where they have had zero recidivism, and he wants to make those same offers for jobs at his dispensary once it opens.  

His plan is to set up his dispensary shop near his gym on the Lower East Side