Matthew Robinson, a person formerly incarcerated under cannabis charges, is the CEO of Essential Flowers Legacy Dispensers, a new cannabis delivery service company in Albany County that opened to the public on April 20.

Robinson believes it is the correct first step for communities impacted by drug-related violence.

“There will not be a bunch of drug addicts running around. It's not going to be bad,” Robinson said. “This is something that will help the community grow. The money that's made from the municipality tax and the state tax can be reinvested into communities.”

Robinson spent his entire life selling cannabis in the unregulated market. The opportunity to do it legally, with more than half of the staff comprised of formerly incarcerated individuals, he says, completes him as a person. He shared that the process to get cannabis delivered is simple through the website, but paying is a little complicated.

“You would need your routing number and your check number. This is something that we have to do. We cannot do debit cards or credit cards, or a CashApp or Chime card. It can only be ACH due to New York State guidelines and guidance and federal rules and regulations," said Robinson.

The facility is in an undisclosed location and has an array of locally grown cannabis products, from flower and pre-rolled joints to edibles and infused drinks.

The Office of Cannabis Management has issued the cannabis retail license to Robinson’s company, but it comes with regulations. He feels that some of those regulations need a deeper discussion before execution.

“A big thing for us and for everybody in New York State is to get rid of the THC potency tax; that must be gone. That drives the price up about 15%,” said Robinson.