Park goes to the potty; Washington Square now a cannabis casbah – the Village Sun

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BY LINCOLN ANDERSON | It was a recent early evening and vendors were hawking weed on the tables surrounding the Washington Square Park fountain. Beer and liquor vendors also plied the park square with rolling coolers.

Their selling points resembled Washington Square’s version of being in the stands at a Yankees game.

“Edible! Pre-rolls! A woman shouted from a table on the south side of the square.

“Frozen Beee-yah!” Frozen Nutcraah-kuhs! A guy barked as he took out his ice cold cooler for a night’s work.

A range of “edibles” for sale in Washington Square Park. (Photo by The Village Sun)

With former Governor Andrew Cuomo legalizing recreational marijuana last April, New Yorkers can now own up to three ounces of cannabis – the equivalent of a good-sized bag of weed – for one use. staff.

Technically, smoking weed is prohibited in parks by the same law that prohibits smoking cigarettes in parks. But it looks like no one gets a ticket to smoke in Washington Square.

Pot sellers display their signs, along with payment apps. (Photo by The Village Sun)

As for the pot sale, licensed dispensaries are not expected to start operating until next year. It is still illegal to sell weed in New York – but, again, technically illegal.

Some of the Washington Square jar suppliers may be considering applying for a license to operate a dispensary, but for now they are selling during the so-called “gray zone.”

One woman had a particularly well-stocked table with potted produce. She had pre-rolled joints for $ 20, edibles – like THC-infused popcorn and seaweed – for $ 10 and $ 20, and gummies and other snacks for $ 20 and $ 30.

A young entrepreneur ran what looked like a mini-pot dispensary. His price for an eighth of an ounce of weed was $ 25. (Photo by The Village Sun)

She had a gel substance in tubes and also small packets of hash, which she said she liked to sprinkle on her blunts.

But could it all just be… oregano? The Village Sun did not sample any of the park’s purported jars for this item, but this seller, for his part, assured his was the real one.

“I don’t sell anything that I wouldn’t smoke myself – and I As smoke, â€she said with a broad smile.

Another young entrepreneur is like the Johnny Appleseed of pot in the park. Like the others, he sells joints and edibles. But he specializes in seeds and plants – even potted pollen, so you can create your own hybrid varieties. Usually her thing is teaching people how to grow their own ganja.

He has a favorite saying.

“You can give a man a fish or you can teach him how to fish,†he said.

Potted plants for sale in the park – plus lessons on how to grow them. (Photo by The Village Sun)

Sinsemilla’s sales aren’t actually his main job, however.

“I’m into tech, I’m actually doing fine,†he shrugged. “It’s a secondary thing.”

The grower in his 20s, who calls his business Green Klub, said he noticed all the pot sales in the park and decided he might as well join in on the action himself.

“It’s a market in the market,” he marveled at the quantity of jars distributed in the park.

The Weed Magician said the cops checked his table a few times, but he just tells them that he doesn’t sell anything, that he only takes donations.

A mini tree pot for sale – or just admiration. (Photo by The Village Sun)
A novelty: a bonsai pot plant. The expert producer said it took a lot of work to achieve this result. (Photo by The Village Sun)
(Photo by The Village Sun)

Nearby the cannabis grower, Mike Grossman used to sell Goofy Fruit, the stoner comics he writes, and related products. One of his most popular characters is Chill Pepper, a one-eyed, pitted red pepper with a joint hanging out of its mouth.

He admitted to selling weed in the park at the moment, “It’s a weird gray area.” But he said DIY weed sellers are stepping in to meet a request that the city and state are not making.

Mike Grossman, who sells Goofy Fruit stoner comics and other mediums, supports the park’s pot market. (Photo by The Village Sun)

“I think that’s what the city needs right now, in terms of creating this entrepreneurial event,†he said. “The city [government] do nothing.

T-shirts for sale featuring Chill Pepper, one of Goofy Fruit’s most popular characters – especially, apparently, in Washington Square Park. (Photo by The Village Sun)

One night a few weeks earlier, Elizabeth Schmookler and Stefen Reed were listening to a group of musicians jam to a tune by Jimi Hendrix on the south side of Fountain Square. The slogan on Schmookler’s over-the-shoulder tote bag, “BUY WOMAN’S GRASS,” was literal.

A couple listening to music in the park runs a boutique jar delivery service. (Photo by The Village Sun)

They run a boutique jar delivery service. She distributed a QR code for her website. Of course, she says, she knows it’s technically illegal.

Unlike the weed vendors around the fountain, who gladly share their addresses on social media, however, she requested that their business name not be mentioned.

As for the nutcrackers – home-made alcoholic drinks in bright colors – they could recently be spotted for sale in a few places around the fountain on Saturday, October 2, when the Women’s March participants took to the park for a meeting.

Nutcrackers for sale for $ 10 and $ 15 in the park on the day of the Women’s March. (Photo by The Village Sun)
A police officer glanced at a table full of nutcrackers in Washington Square Park on the afternoon of the Women’s March. (Photo by The Village Sun)

One evening a few weeks earlier, Jo Ulu was selling two types of bottled nutcracker drinks – one with glowing lights at the bottom and one without. Sales in the park were going well.

“I was able to quit my job over the summer,†he said. “We will see how the winter goes. “

He’s also working on a fashion line with a signature logo, including baseball caps.

Joe Ulu sells four nutcracker flavors in bottles – with or without a glowing light at the bottom. (Photo by The Village Sun)
(Photo by The Village Sun)

Evrim Can, a community affairs officer in Greenwich Village Sixth Ward, said sales of pot and alcohol in the park are illegal. As for the nutcrackers in the park on Women’s March day, he said the park tends to see a spike in DIY drink vendors at “special events.”

“Nutcrackers are illegal,†he said. “Alcohol is a violation, 100% illegal – public consumption [of it], and to sell alcohol, you need a special license from the State Liquor Authority.

The community affairs officer said if police spot alcohol in the park, they confiscate it and write a summons.

Trevor Sumner, president of the Washington Square Association, said alcoholic beverages, in particular, are a problem.

“Washington Square Park has struggled with the sale of illegal drugs since I was a kid in the 1970s,†he said. “And the new sales of premixed drinks are vestiges of the chaotic anarchy of summer. This does not mean that we have to close our eyes.

“We have made substantial progress since this summer with an increased presence of park law enforcement and police patrols and more consistent enforcement of park laws,†Sumner said. “We presented our policy recommendations earlier this year and believe this sets a roadmap for addressing these challenges going forward.

“We believe Washington Square Park should be a safe and enjoyable environment for all residents and visitors. We must continually meet these challenges to achieve this goal. “

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