Medical Marijuana Dispensary Opens In Briarwood

BRIARWOOD, QUEENS - Medical marijuana dispensary The Botanist opened for business in Briarwood on Wednesday as the borough's third dispensary.

The Botanist's menu includes capsules, vape cartridges, oral sprays and tinctures, which are liquids placed under the tongue. Prices range from $75 to $165. The company will also introduce its own brand of medical cannabis products — manufactured in Syracuse, New York — in the next two months, according to Dennis DuVal, chief operating officer of investment company Acreage New York, which owns The Botanist.

DuVal said the company chose Briarwood as its new home because the Queens neighborhood was under-served; the other two Queens dispensaries are in Forest Hills and Elmhurst. "We felt that there was a need for a dispensary here," he said in an interview.

More than 90,000 state residents have a medical marijuana certification, according to the New York Department of Health, but the data do not say where those people live.

The nature-inspired dispensary design by McKinley Burkart includes succulents, potted trees and a lush botanical wall behind the checkout counter. The interior is meant to evoke a 19th century greenhouse, a spokesperson said.

DuVal said the dispensary's team will put patients at ease, especially any nervous newcomers, by providing a welcoming environment. "It's all about how you train people to listen," he said. "A lot of people have trepidation. Our responsibility is to take that trepidation away from people."

Employees include Queens locals like patient care specialist Shanice Fletcher, 26, who lives in Jamaica. "We have an amazing staff; everybody here is friendly," she said.

The Botanist Queens is located at 138-72 Queens Boulevard. The dispensary is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Veterans receive a 10-percent discount through the end of March. For more information on the Queens dispensary click here.