"I just want to create like a neighborhood hub. I feel like everyone kind of says that, like yeah, we're people from the neighborhood, we're here for that, but I'm Latino, I'm part of the LGBTQ plus community, so yeah, I wanna create a place where people can come in and they feel comfortable."
"I was in the Lower East Side. I was outside with my friends outside of the bar and then we were like, Oh, should we smoke a little bit?' I said, I don't know, this is kind of like dangerous to go outside.' And then someone passed me a one-hitter and I did smoke it. When I smoked that, there was a swarm of police officers undercover and my friends and I got arrested."
Flower Daddy is a newly opened cannabis dispensary in Williamsburg owned by Pablo Velez, a Colombian immigrant and LGBTQ community member. The store aims to serve as a safe, welcoming neighborhood hub for the LGBTQ and immigrant communities. Velez's path to opening the dispensary was challenging; approximately 15 years ago, he was arrested for smoking marijuana in public on the Lower East Side, which nearly resulted in deportation due to his immigration status at the time. The arrest created ongoing complications during travel, including questioning at airports. After years of legal struggles, Velez eventually obtained US citizenship, enabling him to pursue his business venture and create a space celebrating cannabis and community.
Read at www.amny.com
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