Meet The Founder: Three Women Proving Cannabis For All

Take a walk down just about any block in New York City nowadays and you're bound to come across a bustling smoke shop or dispensary—and it's no surprise that these establishments are only continuing to gain traction. But there are a handful of women operating elevated cannabis dispensaries that offer something different: a more equitable, inviting, and aesthetically pleasing space that flips the traditional smoke-shop narrative on its head.

Here's a refresher on how we got here: New York State has firmly leaned into the popularity of cannabis consumption, starting with the legalization of the psychoactive drug for medicinal use in 2016 and then for recreational purposes in 2021. While cannabis is still illegal at the federal level, there's another reason you're likely seeing more marijuana-centric businesses than ever. Since 2022, the state has also invested millions of dollars into organizations like the Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary licensing program (CAURD) and Social and Economic Equity initiative (SEE), each created to aid individuals impacted by the disproportionate enforcement of cannabis prohibition.

"I really wanted to create a Sephora for weed," says Alta Dispensary founder Vanessa Yee-Chan, who was among the first wave of approved New York license applicants without a prior cannabis conviction, in October 2023.

She opened her Lower Manhattan dispensary in 2024 to help sustain ownership of the building her grandparents purchased in the mid-'70s, after fleeing war-torn Mozambique.

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