Is recreational marijuana legal in New York yet? Despite recent incremental steps toward decriminalization, the answer is still a resounding no. That prohibition hasn’t stopped a “curated cannabis events” organization, High Daze, from announcing a pop-up market on the Lower East Side all weekend.
Boasting to be the first cannabis and CBD pop-up market in New York City’s history, High Daze Market will not have any vendors with marijuana for sale. Instead, the event’s “30+ vendors and 30+ showcase partners” are offering a huge spectrum of pot-adjacent products, from ceramic pipes to pot-leaf-embossed swimsuits to CBD-infused raw honey.
High Daze Market will run from 11 am to 8 pm on December 15 and 16. The event is free and open to those 21 years old and over, but people between 18 and 21 can enter if they bring a second form of identification.
“Whether you’re a longtime lover of cannabis or a CBD newbie, High Daze is for any enthusiast,” the organization stated in its announcement.
The market’s vendor list certainly supports that statement, including a storefront marketing CBD-infused cosmetics to moms, another selling “hemp tinctures” for lifters and veterans and a third whose mission statement is “to make healthy living effortless and accessible for anyone.”
However, with minimalist clay bongs as expensive as $240, CBD body oil for $40 and drug-free juice cleanse plans for $165, High Daze’s message of inclusion is strictly limited to those with means. And though marijuana is well on track for complete recreational legalization, the effects of its long-term criminalization leave lasting scars among communities of color.
New York is continuing to make steps in correcting years-old biased prosecution for drug offenses, but the current treatment of the product as a luxury good is leaving behind those on whose backs (and criminal records) the legalization process has rested.
