In Lengthy Island Metropolis, Queens, the place gentrification is rampant, a narrative of resilience and innovation emerges. Rodney “Hurricane” Carter Jr., 43, and Brandon Carter, 41, are the revolutionary brothers from Jamaica, Queens, who’re the important thing figures behind TRENDS, a pioneering hashish dispensary. The Carter brothers have constructed New York Metropolis’s largest hashish dispensary, making a hub for tradition, wellness, and group engagement.
“It turned actual for me the second my brother known as to say we received authorized for the license,” Brandon stated. “I used to be in Africa celebrating my fortieth birthday. It felt like hitting the lottery. We noticed this as a type of reparations, a chance that might change our household’s future. All we would have liked was that foot within the door to make magic occur.”
“At first, I wasn’t so positive,” stated licensed health teacher Rodney Jr. “Competing with smoke retailers and the legacy market appeared like a problem. I figured smoke retailers would ultimately be shut down, however the legacy market isn’t going anyplace, not less than not for one more 100 years, like alcohol after prohibition.”
The journey to TRENDS
The trail to success was removed from straightforward for Rodney Jr., a husband and father of two teenage ladies. The identical goes for Brandon, set to be a father for the primary time. Each brothers, together with their father Rodney Carter, Sr., 66, have confronted arrests for hashish possession, casting lengthy shadows over their lives. Almost three many years in the past, Rodney Sr. obtained a conviction that might form his household’s future. The chance to open a licensed dispensary represented greater than a enterprise enterprise for the Carters; it was an opportunity to rectify previous injustices and safe generational wealth.
“My arrest occurred through the stop-and-frisk period, whereas I used to be coming dwelling from school,” stated Brandon, who had attended SUNY Delhi in Upstate New York. Mine and Rodney Jr.’s fees have been decreased, so we’ve got no convictions. However my father’s conviction certified us for the social fairness license.”
“I used to be arrested a number of occasions for possession,” Rodney Jr. stated. “My fees have been all the time decreased, however my father’s conviction remained. None of us served actual time, however being arrested for a plant continues to be past irritating.”
A imaginative and prescient realized
The Carter brothers channeled their experiences into creating TRENDS, a groundbreaking 6,000-square-foot venue that stands as a testomony to their dedication and entrepreneurial spirit. Not like typical dispensaries, TRENDS presents a dynamic house that hosts cultural occasions, wellness actions, and group gatherings. This revolutionary strategy not solely caters to the wants of hashish customers but additionally fosters a way of group and well-being.
“Hashish is one thing many people devour,” Brandon stated. “It’s a more healthy different to alcohol and has actual advantages that assist lots of people.”
“We’re within the enterprise of well being and happiness,” Rodney Jr. stated. “Hashish is only one a part of a holistic way of life, and the plant itself has so many well being advantages.”
Rodney Jr. added, “The title got here from a smoke session with a number of the ladies in our household. Brandon’s girlfriend threw out a reputation that caught, however I wished to present it deeper that means. So, I requested everybody to brainstorm names, and my sister Kiara got here up with the very best one: TRENDS – The Actual Expertise Wants Totally different Tales. We consider hashish has been stigmatized for too lengthy, and shifting the narrative begins with schooling and storytelling.”
Brandon famous that TRENDS required important capital and negotiations, however authorized necessities and state procedures have been the actual challenges. The Carters confronted varied setbacks and delays past their management however ultimately launched efficiently. They selected Lengthy Island Metropolis on account of their decade-long familiarity with the realm and its development.
Rodney Jr. shared that as one of many first CAURD licensees, they obtained many predatory presents from buyers. The only option for them was partnering with Housing Works, NYC’s first authorized dispensary, related by their realtor.
“Our greatest focus is breaking the stigma round hashish,” Brandon stated. “Most of our clients aren’t ‘stoners’, they’re on a regular basis folks searching for aid from nervousness, ache, sleep points, and extra.”
“Hashish is medication,” Rodney Jr. stated. “Whereas folks use it recreationally, the medicinal advantages are life altering. Promoting one thing that enhances folks’s well-being is a win-win.”
Honoring the previous, investing sooner or later
A number of months in the past, TRENDS hosted an unique dinner and efficiency that paid homage to Christopher Alexander of the NAACP. The occasion benefited the Final Prisoner Challenge, a non-profit group devoted to hashish prison justice reform. This initiative underscores the Carters’ dedication to addressing the historic injustices related to hashish prohibition and supporting these nonetheless affected by its legacy.
“I believe lots of people are sometimes uninformed or misinformed,” Brandon stated. “Some folks suppose if one thing is prohibited, it should be unhealthy, however I consider that logic is flawed. At one level, even Black folks have been thought-about ‘unlawful’ on this nation.”
“There’s nonetheless an agenda to maintain hashish stigmatized as a result of it threatens industries like alcohol and prescribed drugs,” Rodney Jr. stated. “However schooling is essential. As soon as folks see how this plant is altering lives, their perspective shifts. I believe it’s necessary to maintain an open thoughts, which I all the time attempt to do.”
TRENDS stands as an emblem of what might be achieved when imaginative and prescient, dedication, and group converge. The Carter brothers haven’t solely constructed a profitable enterprise however have additionally created an area the place tradition, wellness, and group thrive.
“My mother handed away after I was 22,” Rodney Jr. stated. “On the time, she was damage and disenchanted by the approach to life I used to be residing and the alternatives I used to be making. On her deathbed, I promised her I’d change my life for the higher, and I did. I now not promote issues that hurt folks; I promote one thing that heals them. I do know she’d be happy with me right this moment, and I really feel like she’s been guiding us by this journey.”
