BINGHAMTON, NY (WIVT/WBGH) – A Binghamton man has received one of 28 licenses to sell marijuana issued by New York State to people based on social equity criteria.
William Durham is the owner of William H. Construction where he specializes in residential and commercial building and remodeling.
He applied for a Conditional Adult Use Retail Dispensary License 5 months ago because he fits 2 of the requirements for the first round of licenses: a cannabis-related conviction in his past and business experience.
Durham had a marijuana possession conviction at age 23 and besides operating a successful construction company, he also owned a convenience store years ago.
Durham says he’s eager to get started.
“It feels great. There’s a lot of work to be done and I’m definitely ready and willing to put in the work to make it happen. I just want to see this thing grow and it’s obviously going to fuel other activities and things that we’re working on. So, it’s really exciting.”
Durham says he’s waiting on guidance from the Office of Cannabis Management regarding where he can locate his retail dispensary and how soon.
Durham has 4 kids with his wife who also operates a business in Binghamton, so he hopes that he’ll be able to open up in either Binghamton, Johnson City or Endicott.
“I’m trying to stay as close as I can to home, convenience-wise. At this point, it’s still in the air as far where I’m going to end up at. We have the Southern Tier as far as what I was approved for . There’s no telling where I’ll end up in the Southern Tier,”
Durham says he also hasn’t yet settled on a name for his dispensary.
But he does know that he plans to sell a wide variety of cannabis products, including flower, prerolls, vapes and edibles plus plenty of marijuana merchandise and paraphernalia.