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Noah White walked along Marshall Street Monday carrying a pound of marijuana with Carmelo Anthony’s name on it.

The 25-year-old Saratoga, New York, native yearned to properly repay his idol when meeting Anthony at a StayMe7o Cannabis launch event inside of Dazed, a New York-licensed cannabis store that’s days away from opening a new Marshall Street location.

White, who runs legal dispensary Canna Cure Farms, personally knows Dazed co-founder Keshawn Warner. He said Dazed’s customer service sets it apart from competitors. And considering Monday’s scene, where Anthony strolled by a sea of students who repeatedly chanted “Melo,” White felt Anthony was the perfect figure to serve Dazed’s new audience base.

“It’s a great way to launch your store in Syracuse because obviously Melo played for Syracuse and killed it,” White said, grinning ear-to-ear after successfully handing Anthony the bag of pot. “He’s one of the best of all time. So, it’s huge.”

Excitement swirled near Syracuse University’s campus Monday as Dazed introduced its upcoming Marshall Street storefront by hosting a meet and greet with Anthony. Announced the morning of, students and local residents eagerly stood in line to get their first peek at Dazed’s interior, take pictures with the SU basketball legend and receive StayMe7o cannabis products, which Dazed will sell upon opening.

Warner said partnering with Anthony was paramount in catering toward Dazed’s newfound audience, as Anthony remains a key part of SU’s community. His son, Kiyan Anthony, will debut as a freshman with Syracuse men’s basketball next season. Anthony’s also scheduled to deliver SU’s 2025 commencement address in May.

Building community through cannabis is Warner’s ultimate goal for all four Dazed locations, he said. In the same way Anthony is a Syracuse icon, Dazed wants to become the talking point of Marshall Street through safe products and unmatched customer experience, its ownership group says.

“It made sense that we would want to do something with (Anthony),” Warner said. “We enjoy impacting the community. Every store that we have, I have to find a way to reach out and connect with the local community. That’s what makes the store.”

Attendees gather inside new Marshall Street cannabis store, Dazed. The dispensary’s interior features pink flourescent lighting and tranquil aesthetics. Joe Zhao | Design Editor

Swarms of people exited Dazed’s swanky interior Monday with uncontainable grins and palpable shock upon just meeting Anthony. Many left with free T-shirts signed by Anthony, which consisted of orange tees with blue “Melo” text and mock Dazed No. 15 Anthony jerseys.

Some attendees, like SU sophomores Jaime Burke and Katharine Byrne, came to get a glimpse of Marshall Street’s newest addition. The two both said they’re glad a legal dispensary like Dazed will be an option for students going forward, expressing concern about illegal marijuana distributors. Marshall Street previously housed the New York Exotic Smoke Shop, which closed due to code violations in September 2023.

“It’s very accessible to students who are of age and is more safe, especially with the past stores that were not as safe,” Byrne said. “I feel like they have a great team in there.”

Others flocked to Dazed just to shake Anthony’s hand. SU junior Ian Bishop said the experience made his whole spring semester, as he feels Anthony, a 2003 NCAA champion and recent elect in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame’s 2025 class, is the school’s greatest athlete ever.

Bishop walked home with a signed shirt. SU senior Marlon Orellana, however, brought his own souvenir for Anthony to autograph: a parking ticket. He planned to ask Anthony to sign it as a joke, he said, and was stunned once he saw how willingly Anthony played into it.

“I didn’t think he was going to sign it, because it’s a ticket, right? And I was going to make him sign to plead guilty, and he actually signed it,” Orellana said. “It was honestly very wholesome.”

“This signature might not get you a ‘get out of jail free’ card,” Orellana recalled Anthony joking to him.

The people love Melo.

I’ll have more tomorrow for @dailyorange. pic.twitter.com/FQxwF9tq0n

— Cooper Andrews (@cooper_andrews) April 14, 2025

The store’s fourth location signifies another milestone in Warner’s journey. In 2008, the Harlem native was arrested for trying to buy weed. In 2021, He and co-founders Rich Rainone and Chris Vianello opened their first Dazed storefront in Holyoke, Massachusetts.

Now, spurred by a 2023 store opening in New York City’s Union Square, Dazed has generated millions in revenue.

“I can’t say it’s a dream come true. This is not something you could dream about,” Warner said. “Legalization (of recreational marijuana) coming to New York was something I knew would be great. But you never see something like this in your wildest dreams.”

Derrell Black, director of leadership development at Dazed, said Warner’s New York roots influenced him to push for an expansion to Syracuse. Both Warner and Vianello said they wanted to maximize Marshall Street’s untapped potential. Vianello added that the lack of competing cannabis businesses in proximity and the foot traffic Marshall Street receives made it a project worth pursuing.

Once he first stepped adjacent to SU’s campus, Warner saw the “pure college vibe” that Marshall Street exhibited. Yet, he sensed that the area needed some uplifting and didn’t notice many prominent, thriving modern businesses.

He thinks Marshall Street needs to improve by instilling more quality establishments. Dazed can become one, Warner said, as the store’s relaxed environment and authentic marijuana inventory will encourage safe smoking practices among of-age students and local consumers.

Once it opens, Dazed will be the closest legal cannabis store in proximity to SU’s campus.

“We want to cater to the community that we entrench ourselves in,” Warner said. “That way, we become a part of it and not somebody just coming to leech off of it.”

Safe products and fun in-shop experiences are Dazed’s core values, Vianello said. The staff prides themselves on letting customers take their time and figuring out what products best match each consumer’s interest. He mentioned Dazed has a no-exceptions return policy for each customer if they don’t like their purchase. White said that Dazed employees show genuine care for their customers, which he thinks will help the store win over the SU community.

Black said SU students will feel welcomed whenever they step into Dazed, as its staff wants to aid in any way they can. For example, Black said students who develop alcohol addictions may turn to cannabis as a relief method, and Dazed can help them through that.

Carmelo Anthony (middle) poses with Dazed co-founders Keshawn Warner, Chris Vianello and Rich Rainone (left to right). Warner and Vianello said they were pleased with the high turnout of Monday’s event, which shows promising signs for Dazed’s future on Marshall Street. Joe Zhao | Design Editor

Vianello said Dazed has a lot more work ahead to build trust with the city of Syracuse, besides simply being licensed under New York state’s Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary program.

“We still need to do our job and make sure that we get the word out that we’re here for safe (marijuana) consumption,” Vianello said.

As for what Dazed products Syracuse’s cannabis connoisseurs should look out for, Black said look no further than StayMe7o.

“That Flowerhouse by Melo, man, that’s the one,” Black said with utmost praise. “It’s a really, really good smoke.”

Dazed’s co-founder also found common ground with Anthony through marijuana. The company that makes Anthony’s marijuana products, Flowerhouse, also helps produce Dazed’s inventory. Warner said Anthony’s StayMe7o Cannabis line, which launched on April 20, 2024, will be a mainstay brand that Dazed carries in the future.

Warner said Anthony has an innate passion for the legal cannabis industry because of his 19-year NBA career. Anthony found the benefits of using cannabis while he played professionally, Warner said, and emphasizes how marijuana can be used to heal and recover.

Anthony’s mindset, Warner said, made this a perfect relationship.

“Having this space allows us to branch off and be utilized by so many people in various parts and forms,” Warner said of Dazed’s partnership with StayMe7o. “It makes your business more than just selling products.”

Dazed owners say the Syracuse shop will open before 4/20 Day. Warner said he thinks they’ll hit the ground running, and one day, the store will be synonymous with Marshall Street.

“I’m hoping that this place will become a staple of the community,” Warner said. “In the next five years, you have five graduations. So five years from now, people will come back for homecoming and alumni will be saying, ‘Oh, Dazed is still here?’”

Published on April 15, 2025 at 12:29 am
Contact Cooper at: ccandrew@syr.edu | @cooper_andrews