Dealers openly peddle pot in NYC park teeming with families, tourists
It’s a farmers’ market for the stoner set!
Manhattan’s troubled Washington Square Park has reached a new low — with brazen drug dealers illegally selling weed from tables laden with pre-rolled joints and jars of pot conveniently labeled so choosy customers can select their favorite strains.
Five separate groups of weed vendors offered their wares in broad daylight around the fountain across from the park’s famed arch as tourists, families and New York University students packed the plaza in Greenwich Village on Sunday afternoon.
“We’re not supposed to, but we do it,’’ said one of the ganja peddlers, who gave his name as Ghost.
The dealer openly acknowledged that he was selling “pure marijuana” in pre-rolled joints for $20 each or two for $30.
Although disgraced ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill legalizing recreational marijuana for adults in March, legal sales aren’t expected to begin until at least sometime next year and will remain illegal until then.
“My strains are Grenadine Purple, Himalayan Gold and OG Kush mixed as one blend,” Ghost crowed.
“I kick all the shakes together, have a personal roller roll them up, one shot. So you have three flavors in one blend.”
He added: “I smoked three rolls this morning. You’ll be able to focus at work. If you want to go to sleep, just take this, you’ll be out the whole night.”
In addition to a glass jar holding the joints, his table was covered with sealed, brightly colored plastic pouches labeled with brand names including Apricot Gelato, Cookies & Cream, Truffle Pie and Gorilla Cake.
Some of the containers had see-through windows that showed the buds inside, and most were marked with a California warning symbol for cannabis products.
“Honestly, it’s great,” a 19-year-old NYU student who gave his name as Denny said after buying two joints from Ghost’s table.
“I don’t love to roll my own, so the convenience is awesome, and also the novelty of it — an open-air cannabis market in New York,” Denny said, adding that he’s been patronizing the peddler at least twice a week for the past three weeks.
“My parents went to NYU, and they had to go to Amsterdam for this kind of scene, so I was definitely born at the right time.”
Another dealer said he and a pair of pals began selling weed in the popular recreation area about two weeks ago.
“We came to the park one day and saw a bunch of tables set up, and were like, ‘F–k it, let’s try and see if we can do it,'” he said.
The dealers, who call their enterprise Certz, sell pre-rolled joints for $10 to $50 each, depending on the quality and amount of weed used, as well as bags of buds and marijuana-infused edibles smuggled from the Golden State.
Business is briskest on Fridays and Saturdays, he said, “especially at night, up until the park closes.
“This whole f–kin’ circle is flooded with like 50 tables of people selling everything — clothes, candles, paintings,” he said.
“Of those, there are 10 or 15 marijuana tables. It gets crazy. It gets flooded.”
Another seller who calls his business Doe Boyz Cannabis was busy Sunday rolling joints of what he said was Sour Diesel before setting up a table to sell them for $10 each.
“Pure marijuana. The cleanest,” he said.
“I’m giving you the good s–t. I don’t just care about the selling. It’s my concern to have the good stuff. Quality is priority. You can smoke it right next to me.”
Asked about the legality of what they were doing, the Certz dealer said, “I don’t know s–t about that,” while the Doe Boyz dealer claimed, “There’s no laws about it yet. This is like I’m selling tobacco.”
He added: “When they start giving out the permits, we’re gonna open up our own dispensary. It’s like we’re promoting the brand.”
A young woman who bought a $40 bag of Truffle Pie buds said she was “really excited to try it out.”
“They were really cool about it, very knowledgeable,” she said of the drug peddlers.
“They said it mellows you out, but not too much, and it’s great for focus, which is exactly what I need.
“That’s what I like best about the whole market concept: this idea that I can actually ask questions before making a purchase. It’s like going to an outdoor pharmacy.”
The emergence of Washington Square’s “green” market follows outrage over a recent slew of illegal activities there, including raucous raves, fireworks displays and underground boxing matches that were complete with a timekeeper and referee.
It also developed despite Mayor Bill de Blasio’s recent pledge to “set the right parameters” and address “quality-of-life concerns” there.
The NYPD didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Additional reporting by Tina Moore
