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Jeremy Rivera is the CEO of Terp Bros Cannabis dispensary in Queens and the owner of J&A Building Consultants. He answered eight simple questions for NY Cannabis Insider’s “People to know” series.
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What is your position and what do you/your company do in the cannabis space?
I am the CEO of Terp Bros Cannabis dispensary, a NYS licensed adult-use cannabis retailer located in Astoria, Queens. We intend to provide our community with a safe and comfortable experience when purchasing cannabis products.
How long have you worked in the cannabis space?
I spent some of my younger years in the legacy side of the industry. In 2018, I was released from a two-year prison term for cannabis. It wasn’t until 2022 when I heard about the opportunity presented by the CAURD program that I decided to get back involved with cannabis.
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What did you do before you were involved in the cannabis industry?
I am the owner of J&A Building Consultants, a NYC based construction safety consulting company where I instruct various Department of Buildings safety courses and work with construction companies to reduce their injury rates.
What led you to the cannabis industry?
The creation of the CAURD program is what really got me involved, having fit all the necessary criteria to meet requirements to possibly be given a chance to own a dispensary.
Do you have any advice for someone looking to get into the NY weed industry?
Simply work hard and network, get out there show who you are, meet people, talk and have them get to know you. Learn about the market, figure out what you want to do in the industry and learn everything there is to know.
What do you think the NY cannabis ecosystem will look like in five years?
I believe it’s going to be fresh and new, something different than what we are used to seeing in other mature states. With the CAURD program and the focus on social equity, we should see a lot more Black and brown owned cannabis businesses, also a lot more woman-owned cannabis businesses. With the slow roll out in New York State, in five years this industry may be just gaining running room.
Do you use cannabis? If so, what’s your favorite method?
I am an everyday flower smoker, I will occasionally take a nice dab, but I mostly just smoke flower. This is mostly because of how I grew up smoking. Being from NYC and having started smoking in my teenage years, Dutches, Phillies, and White Owls were what we used as roll up. Bongs and pipes, things like that weren’t really part of the smoking culture. It even wasn’t until my 30s that I started smoking out of papers.
Who should contact you, and what’s the best method?
Any foundations that want to collaborate to help build a better, more equitable industry, any cultivator or processor who wants to get on our shelves, and anyone who just has questions about the industry can always reach out to me. Our email is: Kushculturenyc@gmail.com IG @ Terpbros.nyc LinkedIn @ Jeremy Rivera.