STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.— Wu-Tang rap legend Method Man is bringing his cannabis brand to New York in what he describes as a socially conscious business endeavor.
The Staten Island-based artist told the New York Post that TICAL— coined after the title of his first solo album, standing for Taking into Consideration All Lives— will be available for purchase as part of New York’s legalized adult-use market.
In a statement on TICAL’s website, Method Man says he’s “particularly excited about TICAL’s focus and leadership in the cannabis space in working with Black, women and minority-owned partners from cultivation to dispensaries.”
Specifically he wants to provide job opportunities to residents in communities disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs.
Strains of cannabis offered by TICAL include FREE M.A.C., Orange Cookie Kush, Sweet Grease, Spazzola, C.R.E.A.M., Gold Tang and Crowd Walker and Sweet Tarts. The brand already is being marketed in Colorado.
Marijuana legalization in New York took effect April 1. The next step toward adult-use dispensaries would be state lawmakers implementing the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA), approved on March 30, by forming the Cannabis Control Board to oversee important aspects of how the industry operates.
Social justice advocates have said the members of the control board will be key in carrying out what on paper has been described as the most socially conscious and left-leaning cannabis laws so far in the U.S.
In New Jersey, towns are facing an Aug. 21 deadline to either opt out of the cannabis business— along with up to 2% in tax and licensing fee revenues— or be locked into allowing it for five years. Almost half of the state’s municipalities could opt out, Gothamist reported.
Method Man has been no stranger to Staten Island since the Wu-Tang Clan’s meteoric rise to fame in the ‘90s. Most recently, he headlined The Peace and Unity Concert at Snug Harbor. In 2019, he made an appearance at a Thanksgiving Feast and Giveaway where two local organizations handed out turkeys and winter coats.