Collegetown Dispensary Strives to ‘Educate People With Cannabis,’ Sell Sustainable Products
Legal cannabis is coming closer than ever to Cornell students. Collegetown’s first legal dispensary opened its doors in October. Collegetown Dispensary strives to provide sustainable and local products, including from Ithaca Organics and Florist Farms.
According to the dispensary’s general manager, Rachel Mitchell, the store aims to “educate people with cannabis” about its medicinal benefits and promote “sustainable cannabis.” Sustainable cannabis must contain low amounts of pesticides, be grown in-state and pass New York’s rigorous testing standards.
Mitchell found her two suppliers, Ithaca Organics and Florist Farms, through “mutual connections.” She tried their product and approved of it.
“We don’t really want to sell anything to people that isn’t something we would smoke ourselves,” Mitchell said.
Collegetown Dispensary has competition from several other stores that have opened since William Jane became Ithaca’s first dispensary in March 2023.
“Variety is the spice of life,” Mitchell said. “We have many products others don’t, and I train my budtenders in information that took me three or four years to learn.”
Ithaca Organics
Cheryl Sinowski, a grower for Ithaca Organics, brings expertise from California’s Emerald Triangle — a region renowned as the nation’s largest producer of cannabis — to New York’s unique growing conditions.
“My entire career, I was indoctrinated in sustainable, regenerative cannabis growing,” Sinowski said. “I was taught how to grow in living soil beds in California, so I actually brought some of that knowledge back here when I moved.”
At Ithaca Organics, cannabis is cultivated under greenhouse covers to combat the state’s challenging humidity levels and protect plants from environmental contaminants. The farm employs innovative methods such as growing in living soil beds and utilizing cover crops, which minimize carbon footprint.
“Everything we do is about producing the highest quality cannabis. The happier the root systems are, the more terpenes plants will produce,” Sinowski said, referring to the compounds that impact the product’s potency. Ithaca Organics prides itself on producing cannabis with “loud noses,” an industry term for strong, complex scents.
The farm additionally maintains close relationships with local dispensaries, allowing them to share knowledge specific to their products.
“They are our heart and soul,” Sinowski said. “Because we can just pop in all the time, … they know our story and farm practices so much better. That makes them more able to pass that knowledge down to the customers.”
For newcomers, Sinowski recommends their “Colorado Chem” pre-rolls as an affordable introduction to their products. The farm’s latest offering, “Strawberry Bubbles,” is also promised to be “as good as it sounds.”
Florist Farms
Karli Miller-Hornick ’12, co-founder of Florist Farms, entered the industry because of her passion for agriculture. Florist Farms — based in Cortland, New York — has been USDA-certified organic for the last 10 years, growing over 100 varieties of vegetables and more than 15 varieties of cannabis. While CBD cannabis cannot be organically certified due to federal regulations, the farm says it applies the same sustainable practices across all crops.
According to Miller-Hornick, their sustainable practices include using beneficial insects and interplanting beneficial species. These insects include ladybugs and wasps, which combat pests naturally — avoiding the need for pesticides entirely. The farm also implements crop rotation, allowing fields to rest in three-year cycles across its 200-acre property. Florist Farms runs its facility on 100 percent solar power and is currently exploring sustainable packaging to reduce the significant plastic waste in the cannabis industry.
Miller-Hornick says that the farm’s proximity — just 30 minutes away — ensures a fresh product for Cornell students.
“We love working with the stores that are specifically in our backyards because we know that it’s our friends and our family that we get to support and provide medicine for those in our local community,” Miller-Hornick said.
The farm prides itself on adhering to New York’s rigorous testing standards in order to ensure that customers are receiving a clean product.
Miller-Hornick also emphasized the educational opportunities that legal cannabis offers, as Florist Farms strives to teach customers about not only their products, but also the importance of shopping local. For students seeking focus and mental clarity, Miller-Hornick recommends Cannabigerol, also known as CBG, which is a cannabinoid known for its unique effects on the mind.
“Gone are the days of just getting a little baggie from your friends,” Miller-Hornick said. “You actually get to learn a lot about your cannabis.”
With its commitment to sustainability and local partnerships, Collegetown Dispensary is excited to open its doors to reshape how Cornell students and the broader community experience cannabis.
Atticus Johnson ’27 is a Sun contributor and can be reached at [email protected]
Almer Yu ’27 is a Sun contributor and can be reached at [email protected].
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