Buying weed in New York, start to finish

A new medical law and two federal moves changed the picture this year. Adult-use taxes and limits stayed put.

• February 19. Medical certifications can last up to two years, patients can have a 60-day supply or 3 ounces and 24 grams, whichever is more, caregivers and home growers can be 18, and the law opened medical dispensaries to out-of-state patients.
• April 28. State-licensed medical marijuana moved to Schedule III under federal law. Adult-use cannabis stayed Schedule I.
• December 11. A federal hemp change makes products with more than 0.4 mg of THC per container fall outside federal hemp, so expect fewer hemp THC products that skipped New York's rules.
• Taxes. Still 13%, unchanged since June 1, 2024.

The biggest buying trap here is the smoke shop selling weed without a license. Licensed dispensaries post a teal Dispensary Verification Tool by the entrance, and its QR code opens the state's own list.

• Weed in the window. A real dispensary can't show cannabis products from the street.
• Nicotine vapes next to THC. Real dispensaries can't sell nicotine, food, drinks or alcohol.
• "Pharmacy" or "apothecary" on the sign. The state bans those words for dispensaries.

The state can padlock an unlicensed shop right after an inspection, and you can report one to the Office of Cannabis Management or, in the city, to 311. Every store on Alexis 420 comes from that official list.

Of the 755 licensed spots we list, 679 post their hours. Most open around 9:30 AM and close around 10 PM, and 448 stay open until 10 PM or later at least one night. On Sundays, 655 of them open their doors.

The rules allow sales until 2 AM, with no sales from 2 AM to 8 AM unless the town says yes. Towns can trim hours, but not below 70 a week. Manhattan stores post closing times as late as 2 AM, and the full rundown is in our dispensaries open late guide.

Manhattan and Brooklyn lead our list with 103 and 96 stores, and Rochester, Buffalo and Albany carry upstate. The tax is the same 13% on every block, and the statewide rules don't change. What changes in the city is the smoke-free list, which adds parks, beaches, boardwalks and pedestrian plazas.

Start with the Manhattan dispensaries list if you're in the city.

Alexis 420 only lists stores on the license list from New York State Office of Cannabis Management (OCM). Law facts on these pages come from statutes, the office's rules and FAQs, the Tax Department and NYC Health, and we recheck them when the law changes.

Want to check a store yourself? Our how to tell if a dispensary is licensed guide shows how.