Somers Resident Opens CBD Store On Main Street In Mount Kisco

MOUNT KISCO, NY — A Somers resident has braved the coronavirus pandemic to open a new store in Mount Kisco — the first location in Westchester County for a nationwide retail franchise of cannabidiol products.

"I decided to open the store back in January and was full speed ahead until COVID struck," store owner Cathy Parlitsis told Patch. "By June, I started to think we were going to be living with this for a while and I felt that people needed CBD more than ever. Your CBD Store is the largest brick and mortar CBD retailer so there’s a lot of experience and support. There were 15 new stores that opened during the pandemic so I felt more comfortable going ahead with it."

Parlitsis welcomed guests with a ribbon cutting ceremony Oct. 28 to mark the store’s grand opening. The small gathering included the mayor and Mount Kisco Chamber of Commerce members.

Formerly occupied by the Lacrosse Unlimited, the Mount Kisco store is 1,200 square feet. Parlitsis noted it has a clean boutique vibe with plenty of room to socially distance.

Cannabidiol, better known as CBD, comes from the cannabis sativa plant, not from the USDA defined marijuana plant but from industrial hemp.

In less than two years, the Florida-based company has grown to become the world’s largest brick and mortar CBD retailer boasting 600 plus locations (Mount Kisco is No. 679) in 40 states, company officials said.

“Everything we do is focused on improving the lives of our customers. We are a high-quality learning environment where customers can try products and leave knowing what is in their CBD product," said Parlitsis. "We are not just another retail chain. We are a community of store owners who truly care and are educating CBD consumers around the nation."

Her grand opening took place the same day that Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced that the New York State Department of Health has filed proposed regulations to regulate cannabinoid hemp products in New York State.

It's a follow-up to the state's Industrial Hemp Agricultural Research Pilot Program, which started in 2015 to support farmers and boost economic development in upstate New York. Since then, New York's hemp program has expanded significantly, making New York one of the leading hemp producing states in the country, with more than 700 farmers and 100 manufacturers. Hemp is a sustainable, carbon-sequestering crop that is capable of being transformed into hundreds of products including textiles, furniture, fuel, food, construction materials and personal care items.

Now, in accordance with legislation signed earlier in 2020, the department is creating a Cannabinoid Hemp Program. The program will license both cannabinoid hemp processors and retailers and set quality control standards that all cannabinoid hemp products must meet.

"These regulations are the next step toward regulating the growing hemp industry in New York in a way that protects consumers and helps ensure the industry's long-term viability," Cuomo said Oct. 28 in a news release. "Establishing the State's Cannabinoid Hemp Program to regulate production and sale of hemp and hemp extract will help protect both consumers and farmers."

The Cannabinoid Hemp Program will organize and legitimize the cannabinoid market in New York State by creating a licensing framework for cannabinoid hemp processors and retailers, and by establishing basic manufacturing, packaging and labeling and laboratory testing standards. Currently, applications for cannabinoid hemp processing and retailing licenses are under development, and NYSDOH intends to make them available in early 2021.

While regulations exist at the federal level for the growth of hemp, there are currently no federal regulations for the processing and manufacturing of cannabinoid hemp products, resulting in the cannabinoid hemp marketplace lacking basic consumer protections that are common in similar industries.

"When you purchase a product, you should have confidence that what is stated on the label is actually in the product," New York State Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker said. "With the increased production and use of cannabinoid hemp products, New York State could not wait for the federal government to act to institute basic consumer protections to protect the health and safety of New Yorkers."

The proposed regulations fill this regulatory void and create a system allowing for the use of hemp-derived cannabinoids in certain foods, beverages, topicals and dietary supplement products, provided regulatory requirements are satisfied.

Additionally, cannabinoid hemp products are required to be laboratory-tested before entering the market, with testing for their cannabinoid profile, heavy metals, microbial impurities, mycotoxins, pesticides and residual solvents. This information is required to be retrievable by the consumer in the form of a QR code or corresponding link on the product label. Retailers are prohibited from selling inhalable cannabinoid hemp products, such as vape products, to consumers under 21 years of age. Processors are prohibited from making claims suggesting the product will diagnose, cure, mitigate, treat or prevent disease.