A smoke shop in Beacon is launching “Free Joint Friday” today and plans to give away free marijuana joints to customers age 21 and older.
The event will be held today and next Friday between 3 and 6 p.m. or until supplies run out at Smokers Mecca in Beacon, located at 285 Main Street.
“We’re just hoping people come in and say hi and get a little joint for free,” said owner Grant McCabe, who also owns The Leaf NY on the other end of Main Street in Beacon.
He emphasized that the joints are real and aren’t synthetic cannabinoid or some other version of THC or CBD. “It’s something cool to do for our customers and the Hudson Valley.”
“It’s a genius business move. Instead of spending tons on advertising, he is giving away free weed. The word will spread,” said local resident Danielle Moses, who has lived in Beacon for almost 10 years. Is she going today? “If I can get there between 3 to 6 without the kids, you betcha.”
While New York State has legalized adult, recreational-use of marijuana with this year’s passage of the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act, it’s still illegal to sell weed to customers here. The loophole: residents may possess up to three ounces of cannabis. While experts say there’s nothing in the new pot law that specifically prohibits gifting weed to adults, they say things could get dicey down the road with the state’s cannabis control board.
McCabe said he purchased the marijuana in Massachusetts, where cannabis sales are legal. Several people in his Beacon store will have three ounces of cannabis on them that they will be giving away.
“What we’re doing is legal,” said McCabe. “By default, my lawyer did say I’m an idiot, but in the same sense he said, ‘You’re a genius.’”
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Once the infrastructure is in place to legally sell marijuana in New York, McCabe said all systems will be go at The Leaf NY location.
“We knew it was going to legalize eventually, and we built our backend infrastructure to be ready for it,” said McCabe, who is working with his attorneys in preparation.
Smokers Mecca, on the other hand, is navigating its future. “The state banned all the vape flavors, so we lost a lot of revenue at Smokers Mecca,” said McCabe. “We remodeled it a little more into a smoke shop.”
McCabe said he hopes Free Joint Fridays bring more attention to the store, and he’ll see how it goes before committing to next month as well.
“I don’t want to upset the town … I have to be courteous to my neighbors,” said McCabe.
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