After months of delay due to an administrative issue at OCM, the local dispensary opens

Rochester, New York – After months of waiting, ROC Dispensary, a modest cannabis shop, is finally operating. Although Beau Clinton and Bob Livecchi, the store’s proprietors, obtained their license in 2022, they were unable to open it until recently because of an administrative problem with the Office of Cannabis Management.

The storefront at 324 Jefferson Road opened two days ago, but the rent was paid in early 2024. After years of work, which included contacting local lawmakers, Livecchi expressed his relief at finally seeing their goods on store shelves.

The proprietors were one of the first fifty-two companies in the state to be granted a cannabis license. They made every effort to comply with all application criteria, but when they had to modify their intended storefront site due to a glitch in the Office of Cannabis Management’s new system, it caused unforeseen delays. The store was ready for business as early as August, but the setback prevented it from operating, which resulted in rent costs without any sales.

According to Livecchi, “I think the rollout could have been done a whole lot better.” In order for the farmers to provide it to the dispensaries, they ought to have had dispensaries open. That, in my opinion, would have significantly reduced the black market. However, everything has a learning curve, and I believe they have it worked out now.

Livecchi is excited to share his product now that ROC Dispensary is open. He cultivates his own cannabis under a microbusiness license, providing a craft brewery-style experience where clients can buy goods grown solely by ROC Dispensary. He has cultivated his own strains—different varieties of the same plant bred for particular traits—for decades.

Bob Livecchi, co-owner of ROC Dispensary and Hydroponics, stated, “The sweet leaf here that I have, that’s 26.5, that’s a Sativa that will give you more of a cerebral and more social kind of high.” “For those who don’t want to be in that frame of mind, we also have lower THC.”

Like many others, Livecchi was annoyed with the Finger Lakes region’s sluggish legal cannabis business rollout. The first store opened almost three years after the bill legalizing cannabis was passed. The ROC Dispensary is currently open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. in spite of these difficulties.

Livecchi is frequently available at the store, giving patrons a chance to speak with the person who grew their goods. He claims that people who are new to the cannabis industry particularly benefit from this personal touch.