A Candid Conversation With a Weed Plug A black-market business owner talks pricing and how underground cannabis retail has evolved in Austin By Kevin Curtin, Fri., April 18, 2025 ...

The enormous "illicit market" for cannabis gets a bad rap, but in some cases, the local plug is a better corporate citizen than big companies selling cannabis legally, as per recent research.

A few months ago, the owners of the proposed Red Bank marijuana shop Plug Naturals said they were withdrawing their application. Now they're back.

A handful of regulated weed dispensaries recently opened in Erie County, bringing the total legal stores in Western New York to 19. The two most recent openings are in Amherst and Cheektowaga.