ITHACA, N.Y. (WENY) - The first cannabis dispensary in central New York officially opened Friday in Ithaca.

As WENY News first reported, the dispensary, called "William Jane" is a pop-up located on East State Street in Ithaca. According to New York State, the pop-up program is designed to give operators initial training opportunities before opening full-time.

Binghamton businessman William Durham is the licensee for the new shop. He says it will be a welcome addition to the Ithaca community.

"I think it will be a great effect at the end of the day, you get a quality product that was inspected so there's a lot of college kids in the area and a lot of tourists," said Durham. "I'm sure their families will be happy to know they are getting a product that's inspected and something you don't have to worry about, so I think it will have a great effect on the area as far as who's buying it and having fun. There's different cultures and different people, the art world the music world, all that stuff together."

Currently, the dispensary has around 15 to 20 employees, but Durham says he's looking to expand that number.