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New LES Marijuana Store Will Not Sell Any Pot

By Allegra Hobbs | September 21, 2016 1:36pm
 Weedmaps will not sell actual weed.
Weedmaps will not sell actual weed.
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LOWER EAST SIDE — Pot activists are opening a space on Orchard Street that will seek to provide information, educational resources and apparel to local stoners — and hopefully help de-stigmatize marijuana use on the East coast in the process.

Weedmaps, an online platform offering information on nearby doctors and dispensaries, marijuana strains, and other weed-related news and lifestyle tips, will unfurl a storefront at 150 Orchard St. this winter that will serve as office, information station and swag shop for the brand.

But it's a completely clean operation, said the group's president and general counsel — in fact, some visitors may be disappointed to find no herbs or interesting glass trinkets available in the shop.

"I think there will probably be some disappointed people when they realize it's educational materials and apparel, but it is what it is," said Weedmaps President Chris Beals.

The shop may have a glass bong or pipe on display to showcase the craftsmanship, said Beals, but it would not be for sale. Resources provided by the operation would instead come in the form of educational pamphlets on Cannabinoids and T-shirts advertising the Weedmaps brand.

Compared to the group's home state of California, pot is still a tricky subject in New York City, explained Beals, and Weedmaps wants to help dismantle the existing stigma by shedding light on the plant and the diverse industry surrounding it.

"Despite how long marijuana has been around, people still don't understand a lot of aspects of it and there is a hunger for information," said Beals.

"I think it's important for people to understand the marijuana industry comprises a whole host of different businesses, from tech companies like us to law firms... We tend to find that when people realize, 'Oh wait, you're a tech company, you don't touch the product, and you're in the marijuana space,' there's this 'Aha' moment we see a lot of people have."

While the Weedmaps site serves as a portal for those seeking doctors and dispensaries, the group also oversees Marijuana.com, which provides information on the plant's many strains, pot-related news, and life hacks for smokers such as "How to pass a drug test." It also has a forum where smokers can chat and an online store hawking pot paraphernalia such as vaporizers and edibles. 

The storefront, which will also serve as office space for the team's creative and marketing teams, is tentatively slated to open in about two months, said Beals.