Picture this, Leafly nation: you’ve touched down in New York City, with a packed itinerary of seeing sights, perusing shops, and grabbing the best eats in Lower Manhattan. But you have no weed, no gear, and nowhere to smoke it in style.
What if I told you there was a place you could get all three, and so much more? In fact, I’ll even give you a tour.
The House of Cannabis museum, aka THC NYC, opened its doors on April 20, 2023 to provide visitors a top-to-bottom experience in all things cannabis, from agriculture to its impact on culture to social justice—and just how freakin’ rad it makes an afternoon.
Watch the video below for the experience:
Guests can shop accessories from brands like House of Puff and Edie Parker, order their favorite products directly to the museum courtesy of Union Square Travel Agency, and load up on munchies all before even stepping into the first exhibit.
Related
New York City weed visitor’s guide 2024
A $35 ticket gets you access to three floors of interactive exhibits like psychedelic art installation The Hypnodrome, and the Olfactory, a colorful and aromatic gallery dedicated to the science of terpenes. We recommend starting in the penthouse Green Room, a private consumption and co-working space that feels like stepping into a heady spa garden. From there, the journey is yours.
The museum has hosted a bevy of private events with plenty of programming in store for 2024, so no two experiences are identical. After all, you can’t have NYC without THC.
New York’s two-and-a-half-year-old legal cannabis program is like a fueled-up rocket just steaming on the launch pad, waiting for ignition.
The state’s regulators have nearly run out of ways to fumble the ball, and stores are finally opening on a near-daily basis. The New York City metro area has about 2 million weed smokers, but up until now had just a handful of retail stores. That’s all changing, so we’ve started this NYC Weed Visitor’s Guide to get you oriented, hooked up, and having fun in the big city. Let’s freaking go.
What are NYC’s weed rules?
Weed is now legal for adults 21 and up. The police have stopped making arrests for possession. You’re not supposed to smoke in the parks, but the existing policy is to allow you to smoke on the sidewalk.
You can have up to 3 ounces, 24 grams of hash, and grow 6 plants.
“New York is now the best city for smoking weed,” said lounge owner Ben at the Astor Club.
In terms of brands, budtenders chose: Matter and Curaleaf most often. We also like Ithaca Organics and Electraleaf.
The top 10 strains of New York in 2023—based on strain detail page sessions per month at Leafly—are: Lemon Cherry Gelato, Original Glue, Blue Dream, Runtz, Gary Payton, Sour Diesel, Wedding Cake, Gelato, Permanent Marker, and Oreoz.
Remember, you can order weed for delivery and pickup now. Here’s how:
New Yorkers! Now you can order your legal weed for pickup like it’s Chinese takeout
What is a New York Cannabis Grower’s Showcase?
They’re like farmers markets for New York growers and they’re popping up all over the state this winter to help sell the 2023 crop. Here is where the state keeps its list of Showcases. Go to them and browse and buy bud from New York’s outdoor and greenhouse growers. We went and reviewed one, check it out:
I am high, what do I do now in NYC?
Anything your heart can dream up.
For NYC’s best weed attractions, go to:
The THC Museum
The Highline Park
Washington Square Park
Times Square
The Cookies store
The Strand Bookstore
and look up NYC’s daily events calendars (Time Out) and get into it.
Look at the map above for locations.
For NYC’s best stoner munchie food, get:
Joe’s Pizza
The Donut Pub
Dim Sum Palace
Madison Square Park Shake Shack
Beer Culture
Joe’s Shanghai
Chinatown Ice Cream Factory
What is the latest news on legal weed in New York
Dec. 20 update: New York state regulators continue to issue licenses that promise to increase the number of retail outlets in New York City in the coming year. More than 7,000 applied in the most recent period.
AJ’s Sour Diesel debuts in select stores all winter, via a deal with Flowerhouse. Follow Flowerhouse and Get Sour for the next drop. Watch an interview with the famous Diesel popularizer, AJ, that Leafly conducted live on Instagram November 28.
Fresh indoor cannabis is coming to adult-use dispensaries, as well. The state’s preexisting medical cannabis operators—who have indoor grows—just got permission to sell into stores. Look out for fresh Ratings on New York’s first legal indoor weed in the coming weeks.
New York weed visitors frequently asked questions
What does CAURD mean?
New York loves acronyms and CAURD is jargon for a legal weed store. It stands for cannabis adult-use retail dispensary. Very official.
What’s up with the bodegas selling weed?
New York police and regulators are taking a hands-off approach to people that violate the remaining criminal and civil laws against unlicensed cannabis sales and distribution. Consequently, more than 1,000 outlets purport to sell THC, CBD, and other cannabinoids. These products are not tested by the state of New York for purity and potency. Past untested cannabis products in New York have contained poisonous vape chemicals, and other impurities.
New York authorities are focusing on threatening landlords that lease to unlicensed shops.
Related
How to spot a fake vape cartridge
What’s up with the weed lounges?
They’re cool. They vary in quality from shabby to swanky. They don’t have a license per se, but they pitch themselves as private, members-only spaces where people consume cannabis. Ask around for local ones like The Astor Club, or Work N Roll.
Looking beyond New York? Here’s Leafly’s List of New York State’s best dispensaries 2023
Got more questions? What else do you want to see in a visitor’s guide? Drop us a comment and we’ll get on it. Good luck and have fun!
