Cannabis For Sale At Madison Square Garden? Top New York Weed Regulator Says 'Eventually,' Others Say No Thanks

The “World's Most Famous Arena” could soon be the greenest, noted the New York Post in an article quoting a top cannabis regulator who predicts cannabis will one day be sold at Madison Square Garden.

"This is a new frontier. They're going to be selling weed at Madison Square Garden eventually," Damian Fagon, chief equity officer at the New York Office of Cannabis Management (OCM), said on an "I Smoke NY" podcast recently.

Madison Square Garden officials declined to comment, per the NY Post, adding that there is no indication the arena has plans to sanction weed on its premises anytime soon.

For starters, the historic Manhattan arena is covered by New York's 2003 Clean Indoor Air Act, which was expanded in 2017 to further prohibit smoking cannabis and vaping in almost all public and private indoor workplaces, including restaurants and bars.

"See the bigger picture here fellas," Fagon said in the podcast, mentioning the licensing of smokers' lounges.

New York's 2021 cannabis legalization law foresees licensing smoking lounges where weed can be served by budtenders, similar to the 20 or so cigar bars that operate in the Big Apple.

Despite Fagon's predictions, some New Yorkers aren't particularly happy about marijuana making its debut at the Garden.

"I'm not enthused about indoor smoking anywhere, cannabis or otherwise and I have been smoking weed for years," said Clarissa Dickenson, New Yorker, triathlete and substitute teacher.

New York's Cannabis Program Delays

While New York's beleaguered cannabis program struggles to launch in a meaningful way, retailers were allowed to sell cannabis last summer at the so-called cannabis farmers' markets, which were an attempt to help farmers who have borne the brunt of the state's slow rollout.

Cannabis farmers cultivated enough cannabis this past summer and fall to supply 1,500 stores, yet barely 50 legal dispensaries have opened. Even Gov. Kathy Hochul has said she's "fed up" with the situation.

On a promising note, the Cannabis Control Board recently approved 109 cannabis licenses for retailers, microprocessors, distributors and growers.

Meanwhile … Madison Square Garden

Since it opened its doors in 1879, Madison Square Garden has become synonymous with unforgettable entertainment. Beyond its role as home to the New York Knicks and Rangers, boxing matches and college basketball, the building could boast of legendary sporting moments such as the Knicks’ 1970 Championship, the Rangers’ 1994 Stanley Cup and Ali vs. Frazier’s “Fight of the Century” in 1971.

The Madison Square Garden hosted landmark visits from Popes John Paul II and Francis and history-making events such as Marilyn Monroe’s birthday serenade to President John F. Kennedy. It even served as a platform for unity during national crises, hosting the first-ever “Concert for Bangladesh” and benefit concerts after Sept. 11, 2001, Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Sandy.

But Cannabis?

Dickenson called it a stretch. “I don’t see it happening. And, besides, who needs it? There’s more than enough weed already floating around Manhattan.”

Photo: Madison Square Garden NYC Pixabay Public Domain