Press

The Alchemy spokespersons can speak on record about the following topics.

Our retail operations. Customer experience, the curation philosophy that drives our shelf mix (about 70 percent NYS craft cultivator product, about 30 percent mass-market staples), NYS-licensed cultivator and processor partnerships, in-store programming, seasonal calendar planning, and the operational realities of running two Manhattan dispensary locations across roughly 14-hour daily retail windows. Store managers handle location-specific operational color; the founding team handles strategic framing.

The NYS adult-use cannabis market. Operator-perspective commentary on market dynamics including the post-MRTA rollout, the CAURD equity framework, the price compression dynamics through 2025 and 2026, the licensing landscape (CAURD, microbusiness, ROD, MSO entry), enforcement of unlicensed operators by NYS OCM and the NYC Sheriff's Office, and ongoing OCM regulatory developments. We can speak to what we observe from the retail floor without speculation about other operators' specifics.

NYS OCM compliance implementation. How we operationalize the regulatory framework, including age verification at door and register (the three-point ID protocol), COA verification at receiving and on the weekly audit cycle, Part 113 packaging compliance (9 NYCRR §113), Part 124 delivery operations (9 NYCRR §124), advertising rule observance (9 NYCRR §116), possession cap enforcement at point of sale under Cannabis Law §222(2)(d), and Metrc seed-to-sale tracking integration. The compliance officer is the spokesperson for technical regulatory detail.

Cultivator partnerships and the craft cannabis tier. Our working relationships with NYS craft cultivators including Hudson Cannabis (Hudson Valley multi-method), Florist Farms (sun-grown and greenhouse), Silly Nice (solventless processor), Mfused (live resin), Dogwalkers (mini pre-rolls), 1906 (botanical edibles), Drew Martin (botanical micro pre-rolls), and Ayrloom (cannabis beverages). The cultivation methods that distinguish craft from larger-scale production. The role of small-batch seasonality in our shelf mix. The rationale for prioritizing in-state cultivation over imported product. The curation team lead is the spokesperson on this topic.

The independent operator versus MSO distinction. Why independent operators matter in the New York market, what makes the independent retail experience structurally different from a multi-state operator chain, how decision authority concentrates differently in independent versus MSO models, and how the consumer choice between independent and chain plays out at the register level. The founding leadership team is the spokesperson on this topic.

Local community engagement. Chelsea and Flatiron neighborhood programming, LGBTQ+ community partnerships during Pride Month (we operate inside the route corridor for the NYC Pride March), Hudson Valley cultivator partnership events, ongoing community relationships with arts organizations and local businesses, and the role of a licensed dispensary as a neighborhood institution rather than a transactional retail box.

Cannabis industry workforce development. Hiring practices, the NYS OCM Part 118 Responsible Vendor training requirement, the CAURD equity framework's specific prioritization of candidates with prior cannabis-related convictions, the internal promotion path from budtender to shift lead to store manager, and the broader workforce dynamics of cannabis retail employment under federal Schedule I status.

The Alchemy declines to comment on the following topics, consistently across press requests.

Specific cultivator or processor confidential business information. We respect the wholesale relationships and do not share vendor-specific commercial details (pricing terms, volume commitments, exclusivity arrangements). Cultivators speak for themselves on their own operations through their own communications channels.

Specific customer information. Customer privacy is non-negotiable. We do not confirm or deny any individual's status as a customer of The Alchemy, including for celebrity press inquiries, profile pieces, or any other context. We will decline to comment on individual customer purchases even if the inquiry comes through a verified outlet with a published deadline.

Active legal or regulatory matters. We refer to public filings rather than commenting on pending matters. This protects the integrity of the proceedings and our legal position. If you are reporting on an active OCM enforcement action or any other legal matter involving The Alchemy, the public docket is the correct source.

Information that would conflict with NYS OCM advertising rules. OCM rules (9 NYCRR §116) restrict cannabis advertising in venues that reach minors and across other specified contexts. We avoid statements in interviews that could be construed as cannabis advertising outside the approved framework. The compliance officer reviews any borderline answer before publication if requested. The advertising-rule context applies particularly to product-specific claims, dose recommendations in lay-audience publications, and any framing that could read as inducement to consume.

Federal cannabis policy speculation. Our perspective is bounded by the New York State regulatory framework. We do not speculate on the trajectory of federal scheduling under the Controlled Substances Act (21 USC §812), banking reform through the SAFER Banking Act or successor legislation, or interstate commerce policy. Trade associations (NCIA, MPP, NORML) and policy organizations are better-positioned spokespersons on federal topics.

Other licensed operators' compliance posture. We comment on what we do at The Alchemy. We do not comment on what other licensed dispensaries do, do not do, or are reported to do. If an inquiry needs comparative compliance commentary, NYS OCM and the Cannabis Control Board are the authoritative sources.

A complete press kit is available on request via [email protected]. The kit ships as a downloadable zip and includes the following.

High-resolution photography of both Chelsea (302 8th Avenue) and Flatiron (12 West 18th Street) storefronts at day and night, captured during off-hours sessions without customer foot traffic. Sales floor interior shots that comply with OCM advertising rules. Product photography across major categories (flower, pre-rolls, vapes, edibles, beverages, concentrates) with the universal cannabis symbol visible where required. Founder and leadership team headshots. Store manager headshots. Curation team lead headshot. Compliance officer headshot. Full logo files in print-ready CMYK and digital RGB formats with color values and clear-space rules included in a brand-standards PDF.

Background materials including company history dated to opening, complete location details (both storefront addresses, transit access, neighborhood context), founding team biographies (200-word and 50-word versions), key business milestones, the cultivator partner roster with brief profiles, and the standard 100-word and 50-word company boilerplate language for press releases and brief mentions.

A NYS compliance reference summary covering the licensing framework under MRTA, OCM advertising rules under 9 NYCRR §116, possession limits under Cannabis Law §222(2)(d), and Part 124 delivery rules. The reference is updated when OCM publishes material rule changes.

The kit refreshes quarterly. Press contacts who pulled a kit more than 90 days ago should request the current version before publication to ensure imagery and biographies are accurate. The quarterly refresh cycle reflects how often OCM publishes rule updates that affect the compliance reference, and how often we add cultivator partners or rotate the leadership headshots.

We support press visits and on-site photography with advance scheduling. A few operational realities shape the visit.

Customer presence on the sales floor. The sales floor is open to customers during business hours. Photography of customers requires their explicit consent and is generally discouraged in our standard visit protocol. Customer privacy outweighs the convenience of in-context photography. We can position photography so customers do not appear in frame, but the cleanest workflow is an off-hours session.

Product photography under OCM advertising rules. NYS OCM rules restrict cannabis product photography that could constitute advertising in venues subject to advertising rules. We can support product photography that complies with the rules. The compliance officer reviews intended use before the shoot for any borderline scenarios. Outlets writing for adult-21+ audiences typically face fewer constraints; outlets with broader audiences face more.

Off-hours access. We can arrange off-hours access (before 10 am or after closing) for a more controlled photography environment without customer foot traffic. Off-hours sessions are the standard recommendation for broadcast television, documentary film, and high-production-value editorial shoots. The off-hours window also allows for tripod setup, lighting rigs, and the kind of slower shoot pace that produces broadcast-quality imagery.

Scheduling lead time. Please schedule visits at least one week in advance via [email protected]. Same-day or next-day visit requests can be accommodated for breaking news or active deadline coverage when staff availability allows. Visits during peak retail weeks (4/20, Pride weekend, Thanksgiving Eve, the December holidays) require additional lead time and may not be feasible during the peak hours themselves.

Press credentialing at the door. Press contacts visiting for a scheduled appointment present at the door with the [email protected] confirmation email or a printed media credential. The age-verification protocol applies to press visitors too; please bring valid government-issued ID with date of birth.

Founding leadership team. Available for company-level questions, market strategy, the independent operator perspective, policy-adjacent commentary bounded by the NYS framework, and the long-arc retail story of The Alchemy as a NYC institution.

Store managers. Available for location-specific questions, customer experience at one storefront versus the other, day-to-day operational reality, neighborhood-specific commentary on Chelsea or Flatiron retail dynamics, and the practical implications of running a NYS-licensed cannabis dispensary in 2026.

Compliance officer. Available for regulatory and licensing questions, COA verification process, Part 113 packaging detail, Part 124 delivery operations, Responsible Vendor training under Part 118, advertising rules under 9 NYCRR §116, the Metrc seed-to-sale tracking integration, and any other technical compliance topic. The compliance officer is the default spokesperson when OCM rule mechanics are the subject.

Curation team lead. Available for cultivator partnership questions, product selection methodology, terpene chemistry explanations, cannabinoid pharmacology overviews, the craft cannabis tier framing, and brand storytelling questions where a specific NYS cultivator is the subject. The curation lead frequently coordinates with the named cultivator's communications team when the story is partner-specific.

Marketing and communications lead. Available for press logistics, media kit coordination, brand-level commentary, the production-management side of seasonal programming, and the cross-platform calendar that covers in-store events, email programming, Instagram, and the website.

For attribution preference (named-spokesperson versus spokesperson-for-the-company versus a-source-at-the-company), please raise this in advance of the interview through [email protected]. Some topics default to named attribution (founding team for strategy; store manager for location-specific). Others default to company attribution. We do not give on-background quotes about other operators.

The Alchemy has appeared in coverage of the NYS adult-use cannabis market across major NYC outlets including local network television (WNBC, WCBS, WABC, NY1), NYC alt-weekly print and digital outlets, neighborhood-focused publications covering Chelsea and Flatiron, cannabis industry trade publications (MJBizDaily, Cannabis Business Times, Marijuana Moment), and selected national publications writing about post-MRTA New York. A current coverage roster is available on request and useful as background context for new press contacts evaluating an angle.

We are happy to connect new press contacts with prior coverage on specific topics. The independent operator versus MSO distinction has been the subject of multiple feature pieces. The craft cultivator tier (Hudson Cannabis, Florist Farms) has been covered through both trade and consumer outlets. NYC retail dynamics around Pride Month, 4/20, and holiday seasons have generated recurring coverage. The back-catalog frequently informs the next piece, and we route reporters to relevant prior work rather than re-litigating the framing.

We maintain topic-specific reference content that we can route press contacts to for orientation before a formal interview.

NYS adult-use cannabis market dynamics, including the CAURD framework background, the price compression environment through 2025 and 2026, and the licensed-versus-unlicensed gray market enforcement landscape. Cannabis retail operations and the curation philosophy, with examples drawn from our actual shelf mix and our cultivator due-diligence process. The independent versus MSO operator distinction, including the decision-authority differences, the supply-chain differences, and the customer-experience differences as we see them from the floor. Manhattan-specific retail neighborhood context (Chelsea West 20s, Flatiron south of Madison Square Park) including the foot-traffic patterns, the subway access, and the customer mix at each location. Community engagement programming including Pride Month and Hudson Valley cultivator partnerships. NYS OCM regulatory framework summaries (Part 113 packaging, Part 124 delivery, Part 118 employment, Part 5 testing, 9 NYCRR §116 advertising rules).

Topic-specific briefings can be arranged via [email protected]. A briefing is a 30-minute background conversation, on background or off the record depending on outlet preference, intended to orient the reporter without being a quotable interview. Briefings are useful when the reporter is new to the cannabis-industry beat or new to the NYS specific regulatory framework.

Photographers shooting for editorial use should plan around the off-hours window for the cleanest result. Lighting setups in the back-of-house consultation area, the inventory loading entrance, or the curation review table produce strong editorial frames that comply with OCM advertising rules.

Videographers and broadcast crews should email [email protected] at least two weeks in advance for off-hours access and to coordinate the b-roll routing. The sales floor, the storefront exterior, and the back-of-house operations all work as b-roll subjects.

Podcasters recording at one of the locations should plan for a quiet back-of-house space rather than the active sales floor, which carries customer foot-traffic noise. We can route to a podcast-ready consultation room at the Chelsea location with advance scheduling.

License status for both Alchemy locations through the OCM public licensee directory at cannabis.ny.gov/dispensary-verification. NYS OCM rules at cannabis.ny.gov/regulations. MRTA full text at nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/s854a. Cannabis Law §222(2)(d) at nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/CNB. The named cultivator partners are each independently licensed by NYS OCM; verify through the OCM directory by name. Federal Schedule I status at 21 USC §812.