Trinidadian-American lawyer Vaughn Mayers opens licensed cannabis dispensary in Brooklyn

Amid much fanfare, Trinidadian-American lawyer Vaughn Mayers opened his licensed Fireleaf cannabis dispensary at 2102 Ralph Ave. in Brooklyn on Saturday.

Several local officials were on hand to witness the grand ceremony of the dispensary that Mayers founded and owned.

Among the officials who addressed the event and presented citations were New York State Assembly Member and chair of the Brooklyn Democratic Party, Haitian-American Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, the representative for the 42nd Assembly District in Brooklyn; Council Member Farah N. Louis, the daughter of Haitian and Bahamian immigrants, who represents the 45th Council District in Brooklyn; and New York City Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams, the son of Grenadian immigrants.

Sen. Kevin Parker, the representative for the 21st Senate District in Brooklyn; Sen. Leroy Comrie; Assemblymember Latrice Walker; and Cory Provost, Esq. also shared greetings and well wishes.

Special thanks were extended to the founder of Unified Political Association, Hassan Bakiriddin, and Vladimir Sterlin, partner at Le Roi Capital Partners, for attending, according to Kamla Karina Millwood, president of the Brooklyn-based Palatial Publishing, LLC and daughter of the late Kenton Kirby, Editor Emeritus of Caribbean Life, who hosted the event with Camille Hastick, vice president of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce and daughter of Dr. Roy Hastick, the late Grenadian-born founder and former president of the Brooklyn-based Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CACCI).

Millwood told Caribbean Life that gratitude was expressed to Make My Day NYC for providing “delicious food and drinks,” to Camille Hastick for presenting the business with a plaque and providing the ribbon for the ribbon-cutting ceremony, and to Mayor Eric Adams’ Office for “a proclamation that was provided on the mayor’s behalf as he was unable to attend.”

She said Mayers, who was born in Brooklyn to a Trinidadian mother, was awarded a New York State Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) Conditional Adult Use Retail Dispensary (CAURD) license to sell cannabis, stating that CAURD licensees are the first retail dispensaries to open for legal adult-use cannabis sales in New York State.

“These businesses are owned by individuals who have been impacted by the justice system, forming a foundation for New York’s adult-use cannabis market,” Millwood said. “This initiative aims to expedite investments into communities throughout New York State that were negatively affected by the disproportionate enforcement of cannabis prohibition.

“After years of selling cannabis on the streets of New York City and being arrested many times for its ‘unlawful’ sale or possession, the New York State’s legalization of cannabis provided an opportunity for people directly impacted, like Vaughn, to change the conversation,” she added, stressing that Mayers’ journey to becoming the founder of Fireleaf is “marked by resilience and unwavering determination.

“He made a conscious decision to change his life, not just for himself, but also for his children and his community,” continued Millwood, disclosing that Mayers embraced academic opportunities by earning a Bachelor of Science from Brooklyn’s Medgar Evers College, City University of New York (CUNY) and a Master of Arts from New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.

Since then, Millwood said Mayers has dedicated his professional career to public service as a chief-of-staff in the New York State Legislature.

More recently, in May 2024, after completing law school at the CUNY School of Law, Millwood said Mayers was simultaneously awarded a license to sell cannabis and admitted to the New York State Bar as an attorney and counselor-at-law.

“Today, as an attorney with a social equity license and the opportunity to sell cannabis for the good of others, Vaughn is a catalyst for change in the cannabis industry,” Millwood said. “His personal journey and professional achievements challenge the stereotypes of people who consume and sell cannabis.

“Vaughn’s role in this mission is pivotal, and his impact is significant, not just within our Fireleaf team but in the broader cannabis community,” she added. “New York State had awarded Fireleaf a license to operate this cannabis dispensary in recognition of past interactions with law enforcement during the height of New York’s marijuana prohibition.

“The state viewed this as a step toward ‘reparations’ for communities disproportionately affected by cannabis criminalization,” Millwood continued. “The opening of Fireleaf represented a transformative moment for its founder and the larger community, providing an opportunity to engage with New York’s newly legalized cannabis industry.

“This event was a significant milestone in New York State’s ongoing efforts to right the wrongs of cannabis prohibition while promoting equity in the state’s growing cannabis industry,” she asserted.

Mayers told Caribbean Life: “It was a really hurtful thing growing up in the streets of Brooklyn, and this is a reparative moment for me. And I am just happy that everybody could come out and support me today.”

Parker said he was “so proud of Vaughn,” adding: “Everybody knows that I support businesses in our community, particularly our own businesses.”