Two very different adult-use cannabis dispensaries are open for business in the Kingston area, with celebrations at Catskill Mountain High in Kingston Plaza and Etain on Route 28.
Catskill Mountain High is a locally owned business with a single location. Etain, which had four New York State locations, was sold by the Peckham family in March 2022 for $212 million in cash and $35 million in stock to RIV Capital, a Toronto capital-venture fund bankrolled by a unit of Scotts Miracle-Gro.
RIV has now agreed to merge with Florida-based Cansortium, Inc. Their combined operations will have cultivation and processing facilities and 42 retail dispensaries. Cansortium will own a majority of the combined business, and RIV and Scotts will have major holdings
The three Ulster County recreational dispensaries already open are Royal Blend in Rosendale, Big Gas Dispensary in New Paltz and Back Home Dispensary in Stone Ridge.
With the number of dispensaries now expanding in the mid-Hudson region, cannabis users will be able to select where to shop based not only on price, but also on the quality and variety of products. Consumers are being offered an increasingly complex and sophisticated slate of delivery methods, ranging from the classic cured plant for smoking now simply called “flower” by aficionados to distillates for more discrete and flavored inhaling, and to chocolate bars and gummy candies. It’s even possible to purchase cannabis balm to rub on whatever hurts.
Today’s budtenders are also moving away from the unsophisticated dichotomy of sativa and indica. There is agreement that all modern cannabis plants are hybrids, and that what’s most important to understand is which terpenes are present in the product.
At the ribbon-cutting for Catskill Mountain High, Jeanette Wolfe appeared overwhelmed by the idea of having actually gotten through the complicated process of approval in New York.
Jen Metzger, the current county executive who helped push legalization through as a state senator, believes that the process is working as intended.
Wolfe met with Kingston mayor Steve Noble, who told her he favored locations in commercial neighborhoods and plenty of parking but not near schools. That led her to Kingston Plaza co-owner Brad Jordan, who welcomed the idea. Catskill Mountain High is now located next to Savona’s Pizza,
Wolfe said that her search was worth every minute. Her attempt to launch a similar business in Oregon was thwarted by the need for “very deep pockets.” Because New York rules are more equitable, she forecast eventual success for her business. The shop is laid out with “nothing behind glass,” allowing customers to inspect and ask questions. Wolfe personally prefers joints, and identifies as an “indica girl.” Northern lights and OG kush are favorite strains.
This particular dispensary was made possible because Wolfe’s business acumen was combined with Eli Enzensperger’s license. Enzensperger’s experience of struggling for 15 years after being branded a felon for possessing 2.2 pounds of cannabis made getting this license a bit easier.
They met after Enzensperger helped Wolfe’s mother Ann with a cell phone. Enzensperger seemed a bit dazed that Wolfe had managed to find a location and production partners, and had navigated the various bureaucratic hurdles to this opening.
Wolfe lives in Lake Hill in Woodstock.
Brittany, identified as the manager at Etain, declined to provide her last name or town of residence.
Enzensperger suggested trying the Juniper Jill brand.
Ann Wolfe was also there, taking in the smiles and good vibes. The elder Wolfe is a fan of vaping, and enjoys the Jaunty brand.
Producers are excited to display their wares at these events. Mike McGregor and Lindsay Rae came ready to show what’s possible with Soft Power chocolates, produced in New Paltz.
They couldn’t offer the infused version as a free sample, but demonstrated how to pour Stumptown Coffee over a square to create a cannabis mocha concoction at home. Prepared cannabis food isn’t available for sale under the New York scheme.
There were also plenty of vendors on hand at Etain, which has long been a medical dispensary. The Rochester-based corporate moguls have worked to make recreational adult use available at the Kingston location, including a “moods” line that comes in four flavor profiles.
Etain has operated a medical dispensary at the Kingston location since 2016, and recently received a license for a recreational adult-use dispensary, which has many fewer laws to follow.
Among the other brands with representatives at that opening were Kiva, which makes edible products including chocolate; Ayrloom, with a line of ciders, sodas and drops to add to drinks; Nanticoke, with flowers packed in containers that can be composted; Jaunty, a line that includes traditional and hash vape products; and Poughkeepsie-based Dank by Definition, with pre-rolled and other burnable products.
Most vendors are ready and willing to discuss the difference between a live rosin product rich in terpenes and a distillate in which they are infused; the buzz-phrase effects-based was quick to their lips in their eagerness to help experienced and new consumers decide among a wide selection of colorful adult offerings.
Join the family! 
