A Middletown couple fought through lawsuits, zoning problems and being on the brink of bankruptcy to finally open their cannabis dispensary in New Paltz.
They were blocked from opening their dispensary for five months last year because of a lawsuit.
They were essentially zoned out of any chance of opening in Orange County.
They were recently named in a lawsuit.
Kareem Haynesworth and fiancée Zymia Lewis have pushed past those obstacles, though it cost almost all their life savings, and they are preparing for challenges ahead as they set up shop in the village of New Paltz, an eclectic college town about 20 miles north of Newburgh.
New Paltz residents have been eagerly anticipating the opening.
The day after Big Gas Dispensary’s soft opening, eight people were waiting outside the Chestnut Street building 15 minutes before the opening of Day 2.
“I’m very excited about it,” Zach Berger, a private chef from Woodstock, said. “I’m happy to be here.”
“A lot of people have ben waiting for New Paltz to get something like this,” Erica Febre, who worked at some of the local cannabis showcases recently held in the village.
Haynesworth and Lewis
