Second Legal Cannabis Shop In UWS Celebrates Grand Opening

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — Once more, the Upper West Side is ablaze with excitement as another dispensary received the official green light, becoming part of a growing collective of Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary (CAURD) license holders in the city's ongoing expansion.

The neighborhood's second legal cannabis store, Just A Little Higher, was approved for a CAURD license from the State Office of Cannabis Management earlier this month.

The shop, located at 157 West 72nd Street, opened its doors to the public this past weekend, on April 27.

Just A Little Higher is owned by local entrepreneurs and business partners Todd Halloway and Tymel Kornegay. Both Halloway and Kornegay collaborated closely with their communities to develop Just a Little Higher, aiming to create a space that the Upper West Side community can take pride in.

“The family working together during hard times helped us stay strong, and that will help us as we create a new space for the community,” Halloway said. “Just a Little Higher strives to bring a sophisticated and relaxing experience to its new location on the Upper West side.”

Their shop will offer cannabis experts and newcomers alike a welcoming and thoughtful experience through a highly educated staff and a full variety of products that are tested to emphasize public health and safety for adult use.

Customers will also have the option to place orders through the store's website, https://justalittlehigher.com, where they can find additional information about the store and its offerings.

Just A Little Higher is the second legal dispensary to grace the Upper West Side. Last month, Flower Power opened its doors at 22 West 66th St., nestled between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue, ushering legal cannabis into the neighborhood.

New York's cannabis dispensary roll-out has been a notably gradual process, marred by regulatory and legal hurdles. Since the inaugural dispensary, Housing Works Cannabis, first welcomed pot fans back in December 2022, approximately 85 legal shops have sprouted across the city.

“We anticipate exponential growth for New York’s cannabis industry in 2024. In the last six weeks alone, we’ve more than doubled the amount of open dispensaries across the state, and in the next few months, we’ll more than double the total amount of licenses issued in the last two years," New York’s Cannabis Control Board Chair Tremaine Wright said.