The scene in Woodstock on Thursday afternoon evoked the spirit of the Summer of Love as more than 50 cannabis enthusiasts gathered on Tinker Street to celebrate the grand opening of HERbal Woodstock, the town’s first legal adult-use cannabis dispensary.
Residents, cannabis activists, and farmers—many with lit joints in hand—mingled alongside local politicians and police officers, marking a significant milestone for Woodstock and dispensary co-owners Melissa Gibson and Courtney Beaupre, who emphasize community wellness through cannabis.
Before partnering, Gibson and Beaupre independently ran successful CBD businesses. Beaupre owned Honey’s, a woman-led CBD retailer in Gardiner, New York. Gibson, a passionate cannabis advocate, founded Hemp & Humanity in 2016, offering hemp products sourced predominantly from women-owned businesses at 17 Tinker Street.
“We wanted to offer smaller businesses the opportunity to reach the tourist market,” Gibson said. “Everything is highly curated. The town has completely embraced us. There’s an emotional attachment to this space, having been a florist for almost 50 years.”
“We both decided neither of us wanted to do this alone because it’s a lot,” Beaupre added. “It’s been an amazing partnership ever since.”
Gibson co-launched the Hudson Valley Cannabis Roll Call in 2022, an industry mixer designed to build strong local partnerships. “We aim to foster relationships up and down the supply chain,” Gibson said, “co-creating a vibrant, productive, and inclusive home for cannabis in the Hudson Valley.”
HERbal Woodstock’s journey faced early obstacles. After receiving state approval last June, local officials raised concerns about the dispensary’s proximity to a nearby church. Gibson directly addressed the issue, and it was resolved amicably. Woodstock Town Supervisor Bill McKenna, who attended the opening, joked that HERbal Woodstock was technically the town’s second dispensary—“the first being the Village Green.”
Town historian Richard Heppner reflected on Woodstock’s changing attitudes, recalling past resistance to cannabis. “The fact that a legal cannabis shop is now open a short distance away is testament to how far the years have brought us,” Heppner told The Overlook.
Former New York State Cannabis Control Board member and current Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger attended the ceremony, presenting a certificate of recognition. Woodstock Police Chief Clayton Keefe welcomed the dispensary, noting, “Instead of giving people tickets, they can enjoy it. It’s a good thing.” Joe Belluck, chair of the New York State Cannabis Advisory Board, emphasized Woodstock’s suitability for the industry, gifting Gibson and Beaupre a custom-made bong. “In New York State, there is no town that deserves a dispensary more than Woodstock,” Belluck said.
HERbal Woodstock emphasizes local collaboration, featuring artisanal cannabis products from micro-licensees like Valley Jane in Ancram, Back Home Cannabis in Hurley, and Hepworth in Milton and High Falls. True to its eco-conscious values, HERbal Woodstock is notably the first dispensary in New York constructed largely from hemp-derived materials, including shelves crafted from hemp wood.
“Why chop down a 50-year-old tree when you can grow hemp in three months and create lumber?” Gibson asked.
The dispensary also stocks products by local entrepreneur Melissa Eppard, who, following her breast cancer diagnosis at 36, founded Upstate Mary, a line of organic, full-spectrum CBD intimacy products. HERbal Woodstock will soon introduce Eppard’s Wildcat, a THC-infused intimacy oil, which she credits for revitalizing intimacy in her 20-year marriage.
Both Gibson and Beaupre highlighted the importance of female leadership in cannabis. “We’re mother-owned, 100 percent woman-owned,” Gibson emphasized. “This plant brought us together.” Eppard echoed, “Melissa has love for the cannabis plant and its benefits.”
Advocates view HERbal’s opening as major progress for the Hudson Valley cannabis community. Tamika Dunkley, co-founder of Hudson Valley Cannabis Roll Call and a Saugerties resident, highlighted the extensive advocacy required: “It’s taken a lot of work and political advocacy to get here.” Rachel Marco-Havens, co-president of the Woodstock Chamber of Commerce & Arts, expressed the chamber’s support, emphasizing belief in “the healing, creative, and artistic properties of the cannabis plant.”
Gibson hopes the opening of the dispensary inspires deeper conversations around wellness, cannabis, and sexual health, aligning naturally with Woodstock’s historical legacy of freedom and creativity. As Eppard put it, “Rooting ourselves in pleasure and wellness is truly a radical act.”
Noah Eckstein is the editor-in-chief of The Overlook. Send correspondence to noah@theoverlooknews.com.