Dazed Cannabis dispensary owner, Keshawn Warner opened his first store in Holyoke, Massachusetts in August of 2021. Warner and his partner (a veteran) debuted their NYC Pop Up in April 2023 in anticipation of opening their legal NYC Dispensary with delivery services in lower Manhattan soon afterward.
In 2018, Warner was in Colorado with friends when he went into a small dispensary near the airport and saw their permits posted on the wall. It was a light bulb moment because he knew he met the strict requirements. By 2022, he was selected as one of the first four of 36 to receive a CAURD license.
“I felt like I was called up to play for the Yankees, like I was Derek Jeter. I picked Manhattan and got it,” says Warner. As a DASNY recipient, the city is in charge of building out the space from finding the location to construction.
In April of 2023, Dazed opened as a temporary pop up store and then closed in July for renovations. The space is ready to receive merchandise but due to issues within the OCM and the city, it has not opened yet. Governor of NY, Kathy Hochul is taking action.
She’s following Governor Cuomo’s initiatives to build the most equitable adult-use cannabis industry in the nation that invests in communities and rights the wrongs of the past, it is a giant step forward that has seen so many setbacks that it has stagnated the market.
“They have limited themselves by not looking to other cities who are legal and thriving. I think the execution is where things fell apart. The fund that was created enabled the team to help the process. I didn’t have to come out of my pocket. DASNY came in and sourced the location, helped with social equity programs and put money behind it. Dazed hopes to be the legal go-to spot for cannabis that is the intersection of art, music, and fashion,” Warner noted.
Dazed opened Nov. 10, 2023. “We are just getting started in NYC but our store in Holyoke, MA has embedded us in the community. We sponsored countless Christmas Toy Drives. We have worked with Soups Up to aid young men coming out of incarceration or who are living in group homes to help them return to the workforce,” Warner said.
Dazed will focus on culture and lifestyle in NYC and as they move forward and hope to partner with local Harlem based artists. “Dazed Care is a program that we are setting up right now. We see the potential of young people as entrepreneurs. Dazed will offer resources to help bring their vision to market, to give small loans or to bring resources like lawyers to help them succeed,” Warner explained.
