When New York's adult-use market launched in late 2022, the first sales happened in Manhattan. The third licensed dispensary in the state, and the first anywhere outside New York City, opened on February 10, 2023, at 3 p.m., at 75 Court Street in downtown Binghamton. That shop was Just Breathe, and its website still describes it as "Upstate New York's first legal cannabis dispensary."
The first one outside the city
The opening was a statewide news story. Governor Kathy Hochul's office announced it as the first adult-use dispensary in the Southern Tier, and WBNG reported that the Binghamton City Planning Commission had approved the location unanimously just before it opened. State records show license OCM-CAURD-23-000004, one of the lowest numbers issued under New York's Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary program, held by On Point Cannabis, Inc.
According to the Central New York Business Journal, Just Breathe was already on Court Street as a CBD store in 2021, before it converted to adult-use sales. That gave it a head start that most early CAURD licensees, many of whom were still hunting for real estate, did not have.
A nonprofit in the ownership
Just Breathe's ownership is unusual. The shop is a partnership between local entrepreneur Damien Cornwell and the Broome County Urban League, the nonprofit. The CAURD program let nonprofits that serve justice-involved people qualify alongside individuals with past cannabis convictions, and Just Breathe was among the first to use that path. At the 2023 opening, Cornwell said he was honored to bring "legal, safe, and locally sourced products" to his community. The Urban League's CEO at the time told WBNG that the industry was creating jobs faster than nearly anything she had seen.
The Leafly listing describes the store as locally and minority-owned and tags it as Black- and woman-owned. Cornwell is also the primary contact on OCM's record for Just Breathe Syracuse, a separately licensed store at 185 W. Seneca St. in Manlius that opened in October 2024. The Binghamton shop has expanded into a small regional name.
That arrangement also shaped the shop's mission. Under CAURD rules, nonprofit licensees had to have a history of serving formerly incarcerated people, and the Urban League's involvement ties a share of the store's role to workforce and community programs in Broome County, not only retail sales. It is one of the few dispensaries in the state where a civil-rights organization is part of the ownership.
Court Street and the downtown core
Seventy-five Court Street is in the commercial core of downtown Binghamton, on the same street as the Broome County Courthouse. It is convenient for downtown workers and residents, for Binghamton University students living in downtown housing (the main campus is across the river in Vestal), and for anyone already running errands in the center of the city. One Leafly reviewer described the surrounding block as rough. Others named the downtown location as a reason they shop there.
Hours, ordering, and payment
The shop's website lists these hours:
- Monday–Wednesday: 10 a.m.–8 p.m.
- Thursday and Saturday: 10 a.m.–9 p.m.
- Friday: 10 a.m.–10 p.m.
- Sunday: noon–5 p.m. (OCM's filing shows Sunday closing at 6 p.m., so confirm before a late Sunday visit)
Online ordering is available for pickup and delivery through the site. Leafly lists cash as accepted, and the website has referenced Dutchie Pay for online checkout. The store is ADA accessible, according to its Leafly profile. Check High Today's deals page for current promotions, because Just Breathe's listings did not show a standing loyalty program at the time of writing.
On the product side, Just Breathe advertises more than 400 products across flower, pre-rolls, vapes, concentrates, and edibles. Its Leafly listing names brands including ROVE, Packwoods, Leal, and Sapphire Farms, as well as PAX hardware and starter kits for new consumers. If you are new to edibles, our beginner's milligram guide to dosing edibles explains why starting low makes sense with gummies and chocolates.
What reviewers say
Just Breathe has a modest review footprint on cannabis platforms: about 4.6 stars from a dozen-plus reviews on Leafly and about 4.4 on Weedmaps. The positive reviews focus on the staff, with several calling the budtenders some of the most knowledgeable in the area, and on friendly service and quick pre-order pickup. The critical reviews are specific. One described dry flower and a mislabeled product from a particular brand, a few called prices high (while acknowledging state taxes), and one mentioned a messy display. As always, check packaging dates and ask to see test results if freshness matters to you.
Binghamton's market has caught up
In 2023 Just Breathe had the region almost to itself. That has changed. OCM data now lists Solo Greenery farther out at 439 Court St., Flynnstoned Cannabis Company and Blissful Buds on Upper Front Street, Greenery Spot in Johnson City (open since mid-2023), and Sacred Bloom on the Vestal Parkway, which draws much of the Binghamton University crowd. Next to those newer stores, Just Breathe's advantages are its downtown location and its track record.
The state's license data shows how quickly the county changed. After Just Breathe's February 2023 opening, Greenery Spot followed in Johnson City that June and Sacred Bloom in Vestal in July 2023. Then came a gap of more than a year and a half while licensing slowed statewide. The second wave began in 2025: Solo Greenery in February, Flynnstoned that July, and Blissful Buds and Skalz Cannabis Co. in Vestal in January 2026, followed by Canna Blooms on Vestal Road in June 2026. In three and a half years, Broome County went from one legal storefront to roughly eight.
That matters for shoppers in two ways. First, price competition is real now. A shop that once had the city to itself has to compete on deals, which is one reason to compare menus before driving across town. Second, the remaining question marks are mostly about selection. If you have a favorite New York brand, check a store's live menu before you go, because no Binghamton shop carries everything. For a primer on who grows what in New York, our guide to sun-grown vs. indoor cultivation explains why an outdoor-grown eighth and an indoor one can differ so much in price.
Who should go
Just Breathe makes the most sense for downtown Binghamton residents and workers, for shoppers who want their money to support a business with a nonprofit partner, and for people interested in the history of New York's rollout. Shoppers looking for the widest selection or the lowest prices in Broome County may want to compare menus with the Vestal and Johnson City shops. Browse other upstate stores in our dispensary directory, and read how much cannabis you can legally buy and carry in New York before a big order.