Organic Blooms co-owner Michelle Brumagin and employee Alan Miller pause in front of a mural painted by Jackie Doyle, an art teacher from Randolph Senior and Junior High School.

It was a long, difficult journey, but Organic Blooms LLC, a new cannabis dispensary in Chautauqua County, held its grand opening this fall and the event could not have gone better.

“It’s beyond amazing. Everyone has been so supportive, said co-owner Michelle Brumagin. “I’m definitely blown away by the response.”

Brumagin’s partner Kerry Mulkearn, shared the same sentiments,

‘It’s been awesome. The community has been supporting us.”

Judging by the continual flow of shoppers at the store on both days, the dispensary, located just off of the Findley Lake exit on I-86, appears to have been well received, both by people from the town of Mina and from all the surrounding territory.

It was extremely difficult to get to this point, however. On May 9, 2024, Organic Blooms LLC and three other plaintiffs, Niagara Nugget, Blackmark, and Windward Management, filed a lawsuit against the New York State Office of Cannabis Management (OCM), arguing that the state’s Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary (CAURD) program was neither fair nor legal.

When New York legalized adult-use cannabis in March 2021, the state created the CAURD program which was designed to those who have been “justice-impacted” past cannabis prohibition. The program allowed these individuals to apply for retail licenses without needing to obtain real estate or notify local municipalities beforehand. However, this allowance was not given to general applicants during the application period.

The case went to the state Supreme Court, which rejected the state’s motion to dismiss the case. The court agreed with Organic Blooms and the other plaintiffs that the CAURD program created an unfair inequality under the law and ordered that those who had been allowed a license to dispense cannabis under the program should be reviewed.

Brumagin said that receiving the court’s decision evoked an array of emotions.

“Honestly, it was a mix – relief, joy, even shock. Hearing that decision just hit us. It finally felt real,” she said.

According to Brumagin, the greatest frustration during the process was the slow pace at which the OCM processed applications for licensing. In the words of Organic Blooms’ lawyer, Thomas Spanos: “Data and reports have validated this frustration repeatedly: the proliferation of illegal stores, the failure of OCM to hire more license processing staff before opening the general application window, and the states’ failure to match supply with demand via their tightfisted licensing approach”

Despite the roadblocks they encountered, Brumagin said that she and Mulkearn were resolute in their determination to see the project through.

“There were times it felt like we’d never get here, but giving up was not an option,” Brumagin said. “It took time and heart to get here, but we couldn’t be happier to be open and serve our community.”

Town of Mina supervisor Rebecca Brumagin that the community will benefit from Organic Blooms in two ways.

“The community will directly benefit financially from the dispensary operating in our town,” she said. “First, the town government will receive ongoing payments of 3% of gross sales that will be used for special projects as determined by the Town Board. And second, the dispensary will provide support to local nonprofits through the NYS Cannabis Community Reinvestment program. These are new funding streams that New York State does not require of any other type of business.”

The grand opening of Organic Blooms was a great thrill for Brumagin and Mulkearn. However, Brumagin said, the best thing about it has been the people who come there.

“Seeing people walk through the doors and share our excitement has been the best part. It makes every challenge worth it,” she said. “Connecting with our community – hearing their stories, their support, and their curiosity is so very rewarding.”