Here in New York, the first legal recreational cannabis dispensary opened its doors to the public on Thursday at 4:20 p.m. The Housing Works Cannabis Company dispensary in Manhattan is run by a nonprofit serving people living with HIV/AIDS, as well as unhoused and formerly incarcerated people. Chris Alexander, the executive director of New York State’s newly formed Office of Cannabis Management, was the dispensary’s first-ever customer.

Chris Alexander: “One of the key priorities was always, you know, addressing the criminal consequences that exist. It stemmed from marijuana prohibition and its disproportionate enforcement, but also access. Right? And access to a plant that is medicine for so many, particularly in the HIV and AIDS community, as well.”