Best Dispensaries in New York (2026) — 950 Rated

Licensed New York dispensaries and how to tell them from smoke shops

Verdex lists 987 New York cannabis shops. Only OCM-licensed dispensaries may sell to adults 21+, and each posts a QR verification sticker near the door.

This page is about the United States — not the country you picked in the header.

Dispensaries rated

950

License verified

950

Top score

9.5

Cities

294

A cannabis leaf on the window is not a licence. In New York the Office of Cannabis Management requires every legal dispensary to post a Dispensary Verification sticker near its main entrance, and its own list showed 726 adult-use dispensaries in operation when we checked in September 2026. Adults 21 and older may buy, up to 3 ounces of flower or 24 grams of concentrate in their possession, and retail taxes come to 13%.

Verdex lists 987 records, more than the state's count, so match any shop to the OCM list before you go. Highly scored licensed stores include The Plug on Rogers Avenue in Brooklyn, DISPO on 4th Avenue, Hush on Williamsbridge Road in the Bronx and Indoor Treez, near Port Authority, which lists 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. hours.

Boroughs, upstate cities and the smoke-shop problem

Brooklyn (117 listings) and Manhattan (116) lead, then the Bronx (32), Rochester (32), Buffalo (30), Staten Island (21) and Albany (21). Unlicensed shops that look like dispensaries are the reason the sticker rule exists: the governor's office said in July 2024 that more than 1,000 illegal cannabis shops had been shut down, and OCM was still announcing closures in 2026, including six shops in Watertown in March and two in Rochester in April.

Tax: 13% at retail (9% state and 4% local), and adult-use cannabis is exempt from ordinary sales tax. A separate 9% distributor tax applies before the product reaches the shelf, since June 1, 2024.
Licence types: many early stores hold Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary (CAURD) licences; former medical operators, called Registered Organizations, hold others.
Delivery: offered by many licensed dispensaries, and the law created separate delivery and lounge licences.

The first legal store, Housing Works Cannabis Co. in Manhattan, opened on December 29, 2022. New Jersey is next door, but carrying cannabis across the state line is illegal in both directions. Our licensed-versus-unlicensed guide lists the six checks at the door in order of strength.

Questions about this list

How can I tell if a New York dispensary is licensed?

Scan the Dispensary Verification QR sticker near the entrance; it should lead to cannabis.ny.gov. Then find the name and address on the Office of Cannabis Management's list of licensed dispensaries. A shop without the sticker is not licensed to sell cannabis.

What taxes apply to cannabis in New York?

Retail sales carry taxes totaling 13%, 9% state and 4% local, and adult-use cannabis is exempt from regular sales tax. Distributors also pay a 9% tax on wholesale sales, according to the Office of Cannabis Management.

How much cannabis can I carry in New York?

Adults 21 and older may possess up to 3 ounces of flower and 24 grams of concentrate, and may store up to 5 pounds securely at home. Home growing allows three mature and three immature plants per person.

Licensed New York dispensaries and how to tell them from smoke shops

Boroughs, upstate cities and the smoke-shop problem

Questions about this list

Minimum age

Possession

Home grow

Taxes