Salina, N. Y. — When the sale of CBD oils and other cannabis products derived from hemp became legal in New York in 2018, Jim Charon jumped at the chance to get into the business.
His retail shop, Syracuse Hemporium, opened June 1, 2018 as a stall at the Central New York Regional Market. He then opened its current storefront location in Salina’s Northern Lights plaza in 2019.
That put Charon at the forefront of the wave of shops that began to sell lower potency hemp-cannabis products well before the state legalized recreational marijuana in 2021.
Now Charon has decided to close his shop. The last day of business will be Dec. 31.
Charon said the new landlord at the Northern Lights plaza, the Raymour & Flanigan furniture chain, declined to renew his lease and he’s having trouble finding a new location. He also said his primary product supplier, NuLeaf Naturals, suddenly moved this month into an online-only business model and is no longer selling to retailers.
“Unfortunately, the universe is speaking,” he said in a thread on his Facebook page. “… With no location and no product it makes it difficult to continue operating but I do appreciate all the customers and support I’ve received since I started in 2018. Thank you!!”
The closing comes as the state continues to ramp up the licensing of recreational marijuana dispensaries. There are now more than 10 licensed dispensaries in Onondaga County and 258 across the state.
The licensed dispensaries sell products derived from marijuana, not hemp. They contain a higher level of THC, the psychoactive compound that provides the marijuana “high.”
Stores like Syracuse Hemporium sell CBD (cannabidiol) and similar hemp-based products that contain less than .3% THC. Those became legal after Congress loosened restrictions on hemp-based cannabis in the 2018 federal farm bill.
Charon, an Air Force veteran, has claimed that when his shop opened it was “the first and only store in Syracuse, NY specializing in hemp products.”
Syracuse Hemporium sells products like CBD oils, edibles (gummies), low THC beverages and even dog biscuits.
New York, meanwhile, is still trying to crack down on the many outlets operating across the state selling marijuana without licenses. That effort has been criticized for being ineffective, putting a strain on the legal dispensaries.
It all makes things difficult for the CBD / hemp retailers, Charon told syracuse.com today.
“It’s a tough business,” Charon said. ”You have to sell CBD, whereas THC sells itself.“
Don Cazentre writes for NYup.com, syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Reach him at dcazentre@nyup.com, or follow him at NYup.com, on Twitter or Facebook.
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