State-approved cannabis dispensary Herbal IQ opens in Depew

DEPEW N.Y. (WIVB) – The cannabis industry in Western New York continues to grow. On Friday another state-approved marijuana dispensary opened its doors.

Herbal IQ, located on Transit road in Depew, officially opened with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 11 a.m.

Owner Mike Ortiz spent the last three weeks transforming the space, the was once a pool hall, into a cannabis dispensary that sells New York State-approved marijuana products.

Hundreds of people throughout the day stopped by for the grand opening. Ortiz says a lot of hard work went into this and he’s excited about the turnout.

First cannabis dispensary opens in WNY

“We saw people sitting in their cars in the parking lot. We went out and dragged them in and said, ‘hey come on in and said you don’t have to wait.’ We’re not looking into getting you in a line and holding you up. Let’s get you in. Let you experience Herbal IQ we have some of our top providers here that are working with us so they can help educate our consumers and clients,” Ortiz said. “I hope it goes steady. Should be a good day.”

News 4 caught up with a few customers who stopped by to check out the place out.

“It’s actually pretty busy. I didn’t think it would be this busy right when they opened, but it’s good, it’s nice to see that,” said Travis Kinseher.

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“I think it’s great because people out here don’t want to take trips to the reservation or any where that they can get it so I think it’s great,” said Joshua Wilson. “I think marijuana should be accessible to everybody.”

Sarah Minkewicz is an Emmy-nominated reporter and Buffalo native who has been a part of the News 4 team since 2019. Follow Sarah on Twitter @SarahMinkewicz and click here to see more of her work.

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