Success in the cannabis industry isn’t just about selling products—it’s about building culture, strengthening communities, and staying true to a vision. 

Ulysses Youngblood, founder of Major Bloom in Worcester, Massachusetts, understands this firsthand. His journey isn’t just one of entrepreneurship but of empowerment, shaped by personal experiences with cannabis and a commitment to uplifting the neighborhood around him.

From inspiration to impact

“I kept a close watch on the regulatory changes, knowing that cannabis was becoming more mainstream—and that one day, I’d want to be part of it.”

Cannabis has been woven into Ulysses’ life from an early age. With three older sisters who were avid consumers, his curiosity about the plant—and the culture surrounding it—grew quickly. What started as intrigue soon turned into an unwavering passion, but his journey to ownership wasn’t without challenges. 

Expelled from Assumption College in 2008 for marijuana-related offenses, Ulysses found himself at a crossroads. But instead of letting it define him, he used it as motivation.

“I got kicked out of Assumption just as Massachusetts decriminalized cannabis,” he recalls. “I kept a close watch on the regulatory changes, knowing that cannabis was becoming more mainstream—and that one day, I’d want to be part of it.”

That pivotal moment planted the seed for his future in the industry. As the legal market took shape, so did Ulysses’ vision. 

Setting the stage: Worcester’s cannabis evolution

Before Major Bloom opened, Worcester had already begun to embrace the idea of cannabis businesses. As the second-largest city in New England, it had a growing population and a regulatory framework that was open to dispensaries. For Ulysses, Worcester offered not only the legal backing but also the kind of community that aligned with his vision.

“We operate in a low-income, majority-minority neighborhood,” Ulysses explains. “A lot of people here have been impacted by prohibition and the War on Drugs. We chose this location deliberately, to do our part as a good neighbor and to reverse the harms caused by these social issues.”

Unlike other cannabis businesses that sought out high-profile areas, Ulysses and his team believed that their business could make the most meaningful impact in a community that needed it most. 

While other cannabis businesses sought trendy areas, Ulysses saw an opportunity to invest in a community that had been harmed by prohibition. 

Breaking stigmas, building bridges

Since opening its doors in August 2021, Major Bloom, helmed by Business Development Manager Ravon Williams, has quickly become more than just a dispensary. The community response has been overwhelmingly positive, and Ulysses and Ravon credit this success to their focus on being a good neighbor.

“We’re part of a network of local businesses. There’s a liquor store next to us, a local bar across the street, and a deli just down the road,” Ravon says. “We fit right into the neighborhood. People come here, grab their weed, and then walk down the street to get lunch or pick up a drink.”

This synergy is an essential part of Major Bloom’s business model. For example, they’ve created custom cannabis products in collaboration with local businesses, such as a special strain called “Bread and Butter” in partnership with the neighboring deli. These collaborations not only support local businesses but also foster a sense of community that extends beyond cannabis sales.

Innovation in cannabis: A focus on unique products

More than just a place to buy cannabis, Major Bloom is a 5,000-square-foot facility that houses retail space, and a production kitchen and laboratory that produces a wide range of unique products. While they offer all the staples—flower, edibles, pre-rolls, tinctures, and more—they also manufacture their own line of novelty items, such as moon rocks and cross joints, inspired by iconic pop culture moments like Pineapple Express.

“We always try to think outside the box,” says Ravon. “We’ve created cereal bars to pay homage to the legacy market, those homemade brownies that people used to get in high school. We want to give people something familiar while also innovating and bringing something new to the table.”

More than a dispensary

Beyond retail, Major Bloom is carving out a niche by producing educational content and fostering conversations about cannabis. Their podcast, Infused Influence, has featured everyone from local entrepreneurs to state legislators, bridges generational and cultural gaps, and offers perspectives that challenge outdated stigmas. “We’re not just selling cannabis, we’re creating an ecosystem of information, lifestyle, and advocacy,” one co-founder emphasized. 

While social media restrictions make it difficult to spread their message through traditional digital marketing, the company is developing direct-to-consumer solutions like a mobile app to engage customers on their own terms. In a market where competition is fierce, authenticity, community investment, and storytelling set Major Bloom apart, proving that cannabis businesses can be more than just places to buy products—they can be platforms for change.

Looking forward: A legacy of community, cannabis, and creativity

“We’re just getting started, and our goal is to be a part of something bigger—something that brings people together and gives back to the community that helped shape us.”

As Major Bloom approaches its fourth anniversary, Ulysses is already thinking about what’s next. With plans to expand their product line and continue collaborating with local businesses, he sees Major Bloom as a catalyst for both economic and social change.

“I’m grateful for the support of the community,” Ulysses reflects. “But there’s still so much work to do. We’re just getting started, and our goal is to be a part of something bigger—something that brings people together and gives back to the community that helped shape us.”

In the ever-evolving cannabis industry, Major Bloom stands as a testament to the power of entrepreneurship, creativity, and community. For Ulysses and his team, it’s more than just selling cannabis—it’s about using their business to make a lasting, positive impact.

Looking for cannabis products and a community hub in Worcester? Shop the Major Bloom menu on Leafly for pickup or delivery, find daily deals, and stock up on all your favorites today.

By Robb Reefa

In New York, strong weed is sometimes called “pain.” But when rec dispensaries started opening in 2023, the legal flower was painfully average. Early releases weren’t packing much punch because the state limited growers to harsh outdoor conditions and limited greenhouse space. That meant no Zaza, no chronic, no loud for the heavy duty stoners.

But a new day has finally come.

Indoor is everywhere. Existing brands have upgraded their menus fast now that better bud is available. And hundreds of newly licensed brands from the legacy and out-of-state markets are debuting quality work on shelves everyday. via newly released micro-businesses and cultivation licenses. For 2025 and beyond, here are the craft and commercial brands delivering top-flight flower to New York shelves and where to find them right now.

Runtz

By unanimous decision — budtenders and smokers say that Runtz is the new reigning champ of New York flower. The 2019 Leafly Strain of the year grew into a national brand powered by Lemon Cherry Gelato-adjacent genetics. Plus master marketing from Runtz brand co-founders Ray Bama and Yung LB. Earlier this year, the official Runtz pack debuted to rave reviews in New York dispensaries. Obama Runtz and Trump Runtz have been hard to keep in stock. Happy hunting!

This craft quality grower made a huge name for himself on the legacy market. Now he’s partnering with top dispensaries like Good Grades and Torches for limited drops. His first run sold out in a few hours earlier this month. Stay tuned to Good Grades and Torches on Leafly for menu updates and restocks from The Mechanic’s Farm.

Rolling Green

This may be the most respected brand among budtenders in New York. No matter who we talked to, Rolling Green got a nod in the discussion for best flower in New York state dispensaries. They aren’t hard to find. Hit the button to roll with the best.

Rec Roots

Loud since day one: Rec Roots is run by true OGs of the New York legacy community. They are now leaders of the legal space with top genetics that keep smokers stuck. Try Red Sangria or Sour Zkittlez at a dispensary near you.

ADK

Upstate in Albany, our friends at Stage One swear by ADK. Strains like White Truffle x Devil Driver and Alien Apple Kush fly as soon as they come in, according to budtenders in New York dispensaries.

Synergy

Synergy’s dialed in on the strains high-end smokers are looking for. Sweet and pungent genetics like Blue Gushers, Sour Space Rocks, and Pink Guava Synergy are available now in The Bronx (Bleu Leaf), Manhattan (Torches), Queens (Weedside), satisfying the real Zaza lovers.

The team at Nicklz shared some Rhythm flower on a night out. We were impressed by the nug structure and terps on the Zoap and Animal Mintz strains. Available statewide, click below to find Rhythm at a nearby dispensary on Leafly.

STA Exotic (cultivated by Torrwood Farm)

Cultivated by Torrwood Farm, New Yorkers are grabbing STA Exotic’s premium flower and infused pre-rolls by the handful. Grown in 200-year old living soil, STA livest up to its exotic name.

Super Dope

I recently tried this brand from Good Grades and gave it a great review overall. They got pulled from shelves momentarily, due to censorship on their Hentai-themed packaging. But more drops are coming from this high-demand craft quality brand.

Pinks

This brand is working multiple farms across the state to deliver high-end flower and pre-rolls. Their rose petal joints enhance classic strains like Pink Runtz on their menu.

This micro-license brand has been around for years in New York’s legacy space. Their first legal release is a hit, and shows steady development over the years. The Sensei Cult always puts cannabis above clout. And that dedication translates to their legal flower.

Cookies

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Strains & products

First Toke: Erykah Badu reveals ‘That Badu’ strain collab with Cookies

Dan Reagans and Calvin Stovall

March 1, 2023

That Badu has been a favorite at Leafly since 2023. Another gift to New York smokers is Apples & Bananas – a Cali classic that blends Compound Genetics and Cookies flavors into an all-time strain.

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Lifestyle

What are you smoking? Erykah Badu

Calvin Stovall

March 8, 2023

Heady Tree

This brand is hard to locate on dispensary shelves. So don’t sleep if you see it. Budtenders are known to save some of their check when they see this on the menu.

Leal does it better than most. Which is impressive for the volume of flower they produce. The attention to detail is pristine according to the budtenders and buyers we spoke to at New York dispensaries.

Classic staples like Lemon Cherry Gelato and Sherbert are dialed in by these experts of the New York indoor game. GOTHAM shoppers and budtenders swear by the brand’s menu.

Rolling Stoned

New York essential strains like Uptown Haze are available in limited supply at dispesaries like The Bronx Joint.

House of Strains Staff Picks

16105 29th Ave, Flushing, NY — recreational

5(3)

We saw our friends at House of Strains and got their staff’s top picks for New York flower. Their high standards for flower means their menu always lives up to the store’s name. Here’s what they had to say about New York’s top flower brands.

With strains like Wet Dream and WAP, Zizzle is flying off of shelves. Their whole flower eighths are a cut above most brands. And they’re not hard to find statewide. Next time you’re in Queens, stop by House of Strains for one of the state’s best selections of Zizzle flower.

Doobie Labs

No hesitation. this is one of the most popular brands on New York dispensary shelves. Doobie Labs is an instant buy for true tokers in New York.

Ghost.

Strains like Hot Glue and BBK are some of Ghost’s best sellers. Their 7-gram jars are supernatural.

New York dispensaries and cannabis brands went all out for Fashion Week 2025. From exclusive apparel to private runway shows, here’s how cannabis and couture are colliding across New York City and redefining ‘high fashion.’

What’s most exciting is that it’s all new. There’s no playbook to consult, and no legacy to live up to—so it can be whatever both the fashion and cannabis communities want. As a representative from the whimsical fashion brand Collina Strada tells Leafly, “Cannabis is chic.”

Gotham dispensary goes vogue with runway bong

At New York City’s Fashion Week for Fall/Winter 2025, the New York-based clothing brand Eckhaus Latta—beloved for their innovative use of unexpected textiles, earth tones, and effortlessly cool silhouettes—sent a bong down the runway. But not just any bong. This one matched the model’s abstract cheetah-print jeans, the tawny and cream tones highlighting the bong’s sculptured shape. 

The look was a hit, appearing on the homepage of multiple Vogue websites and featured prominently in the New York Times’ Style section. But what the publications didn’t mention was that the bong was a pointed statement made between New York’s Gotham dispensaries, the fashion brand Eckhaus Latta, and Italian design studio Weed’d, blending the fashion, cannabis, and design industries on an international scale.

According to the state’s Office of Cannabis Management, New York’s cannabis industry generated roughly $758 million in 2024, crossing the billion-dollar mark in January of this year. These numbers align nicely with New York City’s fashion industry, where its biannual Fashion Weeks generate anywhere from $600 million to $900 million every year on top of billions of dollars in wages. It seems obvious that creative people find a muse in using cannabis, but sources that spoke to Leafly said that a stigma persists. Their work, be it on the runway, in stores, or in the broader culture, is to show that people who love cannabis have good taste, and want to share that with the world. 

“It’s been really fun to work with some really amazing brands during Fashion Week,” said Rachel Berks, Gotham’s VP of creative + merchandising, who spearheaded the bong idea. “This is our third season being involved with Fashion Week… and the response has been, ‘of course, it makes so much sense.’”

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The challenge this year was to continually push New York’s collective imagination to the limit. “How do we show up for Fashion Week without just having a Gotham shopping bag with products in it? What can we do that goes beyond that?” 

Berks previously worked for years in New York’s fashion industry and ran her own lifestyle store, Otherwild, in Los Angeles that carried brands like Edie Parker, so her web of contacts across the industries was vast; last year’s collaborations included filling the designer Grace Ling’s signature “Butt bag” with joints for the runway, and a curated dinner experience with Eckhaus Latta.

The iconic bong came from Berks’s friendship with Milan-based design studio Weed’d, founded by designer Stefano Aschieri, who founded his project on 4/20 2022 in an ongoing effort to normalize cannabis in his home country, whose cannabis laws are far harsher.  

“The idea behind the project was to do something that could stand in the middle between performance—because the ritual has to be respected—but also interior design,” he said. The bong was a down-to-the-wire collaboration that positioned cannabis, American fashion, and Italian artisanship as collaborators and allies.

Aschieri works with heritage ceramicists in Venice, many of whom have changed their views on cannabis since working on Weed’d’s unique wares. That the bong came together in a matter of weeks is a miracle, both in time and as a landmark for what the future can hold around the world. 

“We really need to convince and help to shift people’s minds from ‘cannabis is bad, it’s ugly, it’s something that is relegated to dark places,’” said Aschieri. “This collaboration, I loved because the conservation and being able to to bring cannabis together with Gotham in the established context of Fashion Week is huge.”

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Christian Cowan and Travel Agency team up for ‘High Fashion’

It’s fair to say that the media tends to give cannabis lovers a certain look. We can survey classic stoner movies like Cheech and Chong or Jay and Silent Bob Fight Back, to Seth Rogen’s more recent filmography. New York’s legalization came with ample opportunities not only for social equity in the industry, but also for the mainstream public to see cannabis enmeshed with highbrow and a luxury sensibility. 

The cheeky designer Christian Cowan made his runway debut in 2017, and sent a model onto the catwalk in a t-shirt with a loud, glittering cannabis leaf and the words “High Fashion” above it. 

“We are in a time where cannabis use is the most prolific. It’s undeniable the effect this has on our creative culture,” Cowan wrote Leafly in an email. “Collaborations like this should always be encouraged, as they always help push the boundaries of what is expected.”

This past fashion week he collaborated with The Travel Agency on a custom lockbox in the Agency’s signature red, full of goodies from brands like Kiva Confections and Flamer. The collaboration was the brainchild of The Travel Agency’s brand engagement manager SRĐA, who joined the company less than two years ago after an extensive career that spanned costuming on Broadway, creative direction, queer nightlife and showrunning.

Back in September, they collaborated with the emerging brand AKNVAS and produced gift bags for everyone at the Danish-born brand’s SS25 runway show. February’s show built on that. 

“I’ve always found fashion really on the cutting edge and thinking forward, SRĐA told Leafly. “So as I was thinking about it I was like, ‘oh, what a perfect synergy with cannabis.’ It’s a great conversation-starter in terms of folks that are taste makers being able to see cannabis on a more elevated plane than maybe they had seen it previously.”

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Pinks canna-couture brand previews Spring ’25 collection at Jue Lan

How does a new brand stand out among thousands of new dispensary offerings? Pinks is aiming high, with rose-petal pre-roll joints, hand-crafted and presented in collectible pink matchboxes.

Pinks debuted at eight stores in 2024, and they’re now expanding across the five boroughs and upstate with premium ounces of flower (which come with a collectible velvet stash bag) and rose-petal blunts. Founder and visionary Ali Bianco debuted the new products at a private fashion week event attended by top New York retailers and influencers.

Hosted by the Blunt Brunch team at the famous Jue Lan Kitchen in Manhattan, attendees were treated to live music by Bianca Raquel, plus a custom menu of drinks and appetizers. After rave reviews and fab photo opps with dispensary owners and budtenders, look out for the Pinks Spring ’25 collection on dispensary shelves near you in April. Just in time for 4/20!