WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES FEBRUARY 27, 2020 23
Curaleaf celebrates launch of New York City’s
first legal marijuana gummy in Forest Hills
BY DEAN MOSES
EDITORIAL@QNS.COM
@QNS
Nestled amongst a bustling
shopping district in Forest
Hills, Curaleaf, a medical
cannabis dispensary, debuted its
latest product on Feb. 21 in hopes of
offering Queens residents a more
manageable and therapeutic prescription
option.
Lemon-flavored CuraChews are
an edible designed to alleviate pain
and discomfort while also being effortless
to digest.
“This is the first chewable gel
in New York state,” said onsite
pharmacist Dr. Stacia Woodcock.
“We are really excited about these
chewable gels from an accessibility
standpoint. The majority of our
patients are baby boomers, some of
whom are not familiar with inhaled
dosage forms or tinctures. We also
have patients with Parkinson’s disease,
multiple sclerosis, things like
that and they don’t have the motor
coordination to use a dropper or a
vape pen. So, this is something that
they can chew and swallow easily.”
This new medication joins a laundry
list of other products available at
Curaleaf — located at 107-18 70th Rd.
— including the likes of mints, lozenges,
vaping pens, topical lotions and
Curaleaf customer William Acosta. Photo by Dean Moses
more. Yet it is the CuraChews that’s
sparking intrigue from patients, an
intrigue which was on full display
as numerous customers flocked to
the dispensary thanks to promises
of comfortable consumption.
“The chewables fit my routine better.
It can take a while to work, so I
can plan my day around that and
just have an overall better experience.
I have trouble sleeping and I
experience chronic pain in my feet
— it’s a perfect two birds one stone
scenario,” said William Acosta, a
22-year-old patient.
In addition to physical aches and
pains, psychological issues such as
PTSD and anxiety are also aided by
the drug, according to longtime patient
49-year-old Jolyn Kitzer. Due to
severe kidney issues, Kitzer’s body
is unable to handle most traditional
prescriptions, making it difficult to
treat her mental health.
“I’ve been wanting to try the chewables
because I have trouble with
vapes; it’s too much like smoking and I
can’t do that,” Kitzer said. My doctors
approved me taking this because it’s
not as dangerous. I fi nd this treatment
much better than having to take all of
those drugs. I prefer it. It’s very helpful
for nightmares and anxiety, and I have
been feeling better.”
Customers of Curaleaf require a
prescription in order to purchase
medication and must present a New
York state certifi ed medical marijuana
card in the foyer to be granted store
access.
Curaleaf’s Forest Hills location is
one of four dispensaries the company
operates in New York. The other locations
are in Carle Place, Newburgh,
and Plattsburgh. The Newburgh location
was the company’s fi rst in the state,
when it launched in March 2018.
Ridgewood dive bar to bring together lineup of
infl uential avant-garde guitarists on March 15
BY MAX PARROTT
MPARROTT@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
Over the course of the past 40
years, Loren Connors pioneered
a form of impressionistic electric
guitar pieces that have inspired generations
of ambient and experimental
musicians in the know.
On March 15, Connors will bring his
guitar improvisations to Ridgewood,
joining a group of like-minded musicians
in a “Night of Fearless Guitarists”
at the Windjammer, located at 552
Grandview Ave.
For decades, Connors has steadily
documented his life through a generous
output of improvised guitar
sketches and collaborations. Sometimes
reminiscent of southern blues guitar
technique, sometimes an exercise in
sonic textures more akin to noise music,
Connors has recorded thousands of
hours of music over the years.
He will perform with his wife and
collaborator Suzanne Langille on
vocals as a part of a lineup featuring
like-minded guitar radical and longtime
creative peer Alan Licht. Langille
is a unique vocalist and lyricist who
performs with Loren Connors, Neel
Murgai, poet Yuko Otomo, and avantrock
band Haunted House.
Licht is a fi xture of experimental
music unto himself aft er having explored
minimalist and noise genres for
decades and worked with Sonic Youth’s
Lee Ranaldo and Yoko Ono.
The bill will also feature touring
Quebecois guitarist Dora Bleu and
Ava Mendoza. Bleu’s dreamlike guitar
compositions range from pensive
musical exercises to forms of protest
music. Mendoza has been described as
“deconstructing blues and punk into
brutal shredfests.”
Doors open at 7 p.m. and the music
starts at 7:30 p.m. The show will have
a $10 cover. Loren Connors Photo courtesy of Suzanne Langille
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