Cannabis Contest: The Great Licensing Adventure - A Turn To Tara exclusive

The Turn To Tara team has spent the past two years documenting the journey of three cannabis entrepreneurs hoping to win a highly coveted dispensary license in the state of New York.

Tara Rosenblum and Lee Danuff

Mar 11, 2024, 7:34 PM

Updated 249 days ago

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The Turn To Tara team has spent the past two years documenting the journey of three cannabis entrepreneurs hoping to win a highly coveted dispensary license in the state of New York.
From a marijuana farm in the Hudson Valley...
to a business alliance in Harlem...
The rules are clear for the initial 150 licenses up for grabs in New York. Applicants must own a business - and in a pioneering and controversial twist, they must have a previous marijuana-related conviction or arrest.
Jeremy, Jessica and Yuri all fit the criteria. Will any of them enjoy the high life and open their own joint in the Empire State or will their dreams go up in smoke?
Find out when The Turn To Tara team reports on their journey of twists and turns, unexpected victories and devastating defeats in a game where no one is guaranteed a win.

MEET THE CONTESTANTS

Jeremy Rivera, an ex-gang member who is five years out of prison and fighting for a fresh start.
Jessica Naissant, who was sent out onto the streets at around 17 after she came out to her parents as a gay woman. It was there she turned to dealing drugs to survive.
Yuri Krupitsky, a Sept. 11 cancer survivor who used marijuana to avoid opioid addiction.