Scoma will be holding the grand opening of Lifted, Jamestown’s lone legal cannabis dispensary.

Since Aug. 31, Lifted has been open, but on Monday is when officials will recognize the store, located at 320 N. Main St.

“Everything I have done has been OK’d by the state,” Scoma said. “It’s highly regulated, and I’ve been keeping track of everything.”

In July, Lifted received the 136th cannabis dispensary license from the New York State Office of Cannabis Management.

From left, owner Tim Scoma, bud tender Toni Donisi, bud tender Deanna Grigsby, and bud tender Trace Minavio get ready for Monday’s grand opening of Lifted, Jamestown’s lone legal cannabis dispensary. Submitted photo

“The Office of Cannabis Management, they’ve been real helpful with me,” Scoma added.

He said that the OCM has a dedicated person that Scoma can talk with if he needs help.

“They’ve even given me calls to make sure things are OK,” Scoma said.

Even though Scoma said he is allowed to advertise, he has to follow guidelines set up by the state. Since April 2021, Scoma has been preparing to open, and he will say it was worth the wait to open a cannabis business.

Even though Lifted is located near St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, the business was granted a license to operate. State law restricts cannabis dispensaries from being within 200 feet of a church or school, and there were concerns Lifted was too close to St. Luke’s.

From left Lifted Attorney Thomas Spanos, and Lifted Owner Tim Scoma are outside Jamestown’s lone legal cannabis dispensary. Submitted photo

After arguing with the Cannabis Control Board, Lifted was granted a business license. Scoma’s initial survey revealed that the entrance was 217 feet from the church, but an actual survey noted the distance was exactly 260 feet.

The building is the former Patient’s Pharmacy, which has undergone a transformation from a former Eckerd’s drugstore before Diane Mathews and her husband purchased the building to Patient’s Pharmacy and, now, Lifted. The first step was moving Patient’s Pharmacy to its new home in the Dunn Tire plaza on Fairmount Avenue, in West Ellicott. That site offered better parking for patients and roughly the same amount of space while allowing Scoma to use the North Main Street building for Lifted.

The grand opening will be at noon.

Store hours are Monday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and Sunday 12 to 5 p.m. For more information call (716) 489-3022.