{"id":21736,"date":"2024-03-13T10:28:28","date_gmt":"2024-03-13T14:28:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/multi.nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/breaking-barriers-brooklyn-gets-its-first-black-owned-cannabis-dispensary\/"},"modified":"2025-02-13T09:40:35","modified_gmt":"2025-02-13T14:40:35","slug":"breaking-barriers-brooklyn-gets-its-first-black-owned-cannabis-dispensary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/breaking-barriers-brooklyn-gets-its-first-black-owned-cannabis-dispensary\/","title":{"rendered":"Breaking Barriers: Brooklyn Gets Its First Black-Owned Cannabis Dispensary"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bkreader.com\/writers\/anastasia.tomkin\">Anastasia Tomkin<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Matawana Dispensary, Brooklyn&#8217;s first legal cannabis store owned by a Black woman, opened to much fanfare in late February, with many city officials, including Mayor Eric Adams, beaming for the ribbon cutting ceremony.<\/p>\n<p>But for owner Leeann Mata, a formidable and friendly woman who declined a reporter&#8217;s handshake in favor of a bear hug upon meeting, being &#8216;the first&#8217; takes a backseat as she must now focus on running a successful \u2014 and chill \u2014 dispensary.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe the Matas you wanna vibe with, we the Matas you wanna smoke with, so Matawana,\u201d she chuckled as she explained the name of her store.<\/p>\n<p>\u200bNestled on Fifth Avenue and 14th Street in Park Slope, Matawana boasts a relaxed atmosphere. The store&#8217;s layout is a blend of contemporary office space and the homey, retro living room vibe.<\/p>\n<p>When Mata found the ideal location for her store, she sat outside on the sidewalk for hours, watching the traffic go by and imagining that each person was a potential customer.<\/p>\n<p>Yet obtaining her cannabis license was a complex process, she said, spanning months of filing and paperwork proving that her family had been negatively impacted by the war on drugs.<\/p>\n<p>Mata\u2019s father, Harold Edwards, had been assaulted by police for having a joint tucked above his ear. The assault left him hospitalized, she said.\u200b<\/p>\n<figure class=\"figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" id=\"file-3551599\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vmcdn.ca\/f\/files\/bkreader\/images\/local-voices\/mata-scene.jpg;w=960\" alt=\"mata-scene\" \/><figcaption><em><em>A chill place to hang in Matawana. Photo: Anastasia Tomkin for BK Reader.<\/em><\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Three of her five brothers were charged for possession of weed during the era of Stop and Frisk. Lashawn Mata, the brother taking care of the family at one point, suffered considerably; he had a dime bag\u2019s worth of weed on him, as well as a box cutter he used for work in the grocery store, when cops searched him. He spent six months in jail on Rikers\u2019 Island, scarred by fights and bouts of\u00a0solitary confinement. When he finally got out, the family had lost their apartment, and he had lost his job.<\/p>\n<p>It feels like poetic justice for this East New York native to launch a cannabis business in her family\u2019s honor. She employs people of color, veterans, and members of the community.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"figure figure-r\"><img decoding=\"async\" id=\"file-3551584\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vmcdn.ca\/f\/files\/bkreader\/images\/local-voices\/mata-staff.jpg;w=960\" alt=\"mata-staff\" \/><figcaption><em><em>A retail worker rings up an order. Photo: Anastasia Tomkin for BK Reader.<\/em><\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Mata said she must be extra vigilant,\u00a0as there\u00a0are strict regulations when operating a legal dispensary. There can be no radio ads or\u00a0billboards\u00a0to minimize the risk of exposure to minors. While the illegal weed shops across the city can have eclectic designs and flashy\u00a0advertising, legal dispensaries must comply with restrictions on colored packaging, neon signs and labels.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow do we not bring back the war on drugs, but control the illicit shops?\u201d said Mata, posing a question that both legal dispensary owners and city officials are mulling over.<\/p>\n<p>Mayor Adams created a task force to close the unlicensed businesses, thought to be well over a thousand stores. The\u00a0mayor said he has\u00a0<a class=\"ga ga-ext\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nyc.gov\/office-of-the-mayor\/news\/150-24\/mayor-adams-fights-legal-cannabis-industry-celebrating-opening-first-black-woman-owned#:~:text=Since%20the%20start%20of%20the,fines%2C%20and%20issued%2017%2C000%20summonses.?utm_source=bkreader&amp;utm_campaign=bkreader%3A%20outbound&amp;utm_medium=referral\" rel=\"noopener\" data-ga-category=\"OutboundLink\" data-ga-action=\"OutboundLink\" data-ga-label=\"https:\/\/www.nyc.gov\/office-of-the-mayor\/news\/150-24\/mayor-adams-fights-legal-cannabis-industry-celebrating-opening-first-black-woman-owned#:~:text=Since%20the%20start%20of%20the,fines%2C%20and%20issued%2017%2C000%20summonses.\">shut down<\/a>\u00a0160 of them to date and collected over $18 million in fines.\u200b<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll I want to purchase is licensed dispensary weed,\u201d said Matawana customer Jeffrey Luna, a resident of Bay Ridge. \u201cIt\u2019s tested, you\u2019re sure of what you\u2019re buying.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At legal dispensaries, products undergo rigorous testing, inspections and sell-by dates to ensure the absence of mold, superior quality and the assurance of safety. Matawana Dispensary also has a security guard checking the IDs of everyone who walks through the door, enforcing a 21 and over customer policy. Mata, who is a mother of three, notes that her son\u2019s friends have been able to buy illicit drugs at 16 and 17 years old from unlicensed shops. It\u2019s one of several reasons she is battling the illegal shops in her area.<\/p>\n<p>Mata does it all in memory of her mother, Donna Heather Mata, who was an advocate for the healing properties of cannabis.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDraconian prohibition laws cost my family almost everything, but the plant itself is a healing herb,<strong>\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>Mata said during the ribbon cutting in February.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Anastasia Tomkin Matawana Dispensary, Brooklyn&#8217;s first legal cannabis store owned by a Black woman, opened to much fanfare in late February, with many city officials, including Mayor Eric Adams, beaming for the ribbon cutting ceremony. But for owner Leeann Mata, a formidable and friendly woman who declined a reporter&#8217;s handshake in favor of a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5893,"featured_media":21737,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21736","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v23.4 (Yoast SEO v26.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Breaking Barriers: Brooklyn Gets Its First Black-Owned Cannabis Dispensary - Brooklyn News and Events<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/breaking-barriers-brooklyn-gets-its-first-black-owned-cannabis-dispensary\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Breaking Barriers: Brooklyn Gets Its First Black-Owned Cannabis Dispensary\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Anastasia Tomkin Matawana Dispensary, Brooklyn&#8217;s first legal cannabis store owned by a Black woman, opened to much fanfare in late February, with many city officials, including Mayor Eric Adams, beaming for the ribbon cutting ceremony. But for owner Leeann Mata, a formidable and friendly woman who declined a reporter&#8217;s handshake in favor of a [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/breaking-barriers-brooklyn-gets-its-first-black-owned-cannabis-dispensary\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Brooklyn News and Events\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-03-13T14:28:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-02-13T14:40:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/03\/mata-founder.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"960\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jon Freeman\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jon Freeman\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/breaking-barriers-brooklyn-gets-its-first-black-owned-cannabis-dispensary\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/breaking-barriers-brooklyn-gets-its-first-black-owned-cannabis-dispensary\/\",\"name\":\"Breaking Barriers: Brooklyn Gets Its First Black-Owned Cannabis Dispensary - Brooklyn News and Events\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/breaking-barriers-brooklyn-gets-its-first-black-owned-cannabis-dispensary\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/breaking-barriers-brooklyn-gets-its-first-black-owned-cannabis-dispensary\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/03\/mata-founder.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-03-13T14:28:28+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-02-13T14:40:35+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/#\/schema\/person\/1130e29b270d189bf1efcbd308ea4431\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/breaking-barriers-brooklyn-gets-its-first-black-owned-cannabis-dispensary\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/breaking-barriers-brooklyn-gets-its-first-black-owned-cannabis-dispensary\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/breaking-barriers-brooklyn-gets-its-first-black-owned-cannabis-dispensary\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/03\/mata-founder.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/03\/mata-founder.jpeg\",\"width\":960,\"height\":720},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/breaking-barriers-brooklyn-gets-its-first-black-owned-cannabis-dispensary\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Breaking Barriers: Brooklyn Gets Its First Black-Owned Cannabis Dispensary\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/\",\"name\":\"Brooklyn News and Events\",\"description\":\"For What&#039;s Buzzin&#039; in Brooklyn\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/#\/schema\/person\/1130e29b270d189bf1efcbd308ea4431\",\"name\":\"Jon Freeman\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/12\/Brooklyn-Buzz-Black-Logo-2018-1-96x96.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/12\/Brooklyn-Buzz-Black-Logo-2018-1-96x96.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Jon Freeman\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/author\/admin\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Breaking Barriers: Brooklyn Gets Its First Black-Owned Cannabis Dispensary - Brooklyn News and Events","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/breaking-barriers-brooklyn-gets-its-first-black-owned-cannabis-dispensary\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Breaking Barriers: Brooklyn Gets Its First Black-Owned Cannabis Dispensary","og_description":"By Anastasia Tomkin Matawana Dispensary, Brooklyn&#8217;s first legal cannabis store owned by a Black woman, opened to much fanfare in late February, with many city officials, including Mayor Eric Adams, beaming for the ribbon cutting ceremony. But for owner Leeann Mata, a formidable and friendly woman who declined a reporter&#8217;s handshake in favor of a [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/breaking-barriers-brooklyn-gets-its-first-black-owned-cannabis-dispensary\/","og_site_name":"Brooklyn News and Events","article_published_time":"2024-03-13T14:28:28+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-02-13T14:40:35+00:00","og_image":[{"width":960,"height":720,"url":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/03\/mata-founder.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Jon Freeman","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Jon Freeman","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/breaking-barriers-brooklyn-gets-its-first-black-owned-cannabis-dispensary\/","url":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/breaking-barriers-brooklyn-gets-its-first-black-owned-cannabis-dispensary\/","name":"Breaking Barriers: Brooklyn Gets Its First Black-Owned Cannabis Dispensary - Brooklyn News and Events","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/breaking-barriers-brooklyn-gets-its-first-black-owned-cannabis-dispensary\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/breaking-barriers-brooklyn-gets-its-first-black-owned-cannabis-dispensary\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/03\/mata-founder.jpeg","datePublished":"2024-03-13T14:28:28+00:00","dateModified":"2025-02-13T14:40:35+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/#\/schema\/person\/1130e29b270d189bf1efcbd308ea4431"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/breaking-barriers-brooklyn-gets-its-first-black-owned-cannabis-dispensary\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/breaking-barriers-brooklyn-gets-its-first-black-owned-cannabis-dispensary\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/breaking-barriers-brooklyn-gets-its-first-black-owned-cannabis-dispensary\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/03\/mata-founder.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/03\/mata-founder.jpeg","width":960,"height":720},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/breaking-barriers-brooklyn-gets-its-first-black-owned-cannabis-dispensary\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Breaking Barriers: Brooklyn Gets Its First Black-Owned Cannabis Dispensary"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/#website","url":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/","name":"Brooklyn News and Events","description":"For What&#039;s Buzzin&#039; in Brooklyn","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/#\/schema\/person\/1130e29b270d189bf1efcbd308ea4431","name":"Jon Freeman","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/12\/Brooklyn-Buzz-Black-Logo-2018-1-96x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/12\/Brooklyn-Buzz-Black-Logo-2018-1-96x96.jpg","caption":"Jon Freeman"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/"],"url":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/author\/admin\/"}]}},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21736","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5893"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21736"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21736\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21737"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21736"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21736"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21736"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}