Culture Canna Co. and the Union Chill Cannabis Dispensary both recently reached a milestone, marking a year of bringing the cannabis industry to Corning — and generating tax revenues for the city.
According to Corning City Manager Mark Ryckman, the businesses have provided a significant boost to city coffers. Ryckman said the two legal adult cannabis use retail shops have each generated between $50,000 and $75,000 of new tax revenue for the City of Corning.
Now that the businesses have been open for a year, the city can begin penciling in a ballpark figure to expect during the budget process.
“We are estimating that it will be a total of $100,000 to $150,000 annually, which is 1.5% to 2% of the city taxes,” Ryckman said. “It’s definitely a boost in city revenue each year.”
In New York State, adult-use cannabis sales are subject to a 9% state tax that supports statewide public education, drug treatment programs and community reinvestment. Sales are also subject to a 4% local excise tax that goes directly to local governments. Under state policy, 75% of this money goes directly to the city, town of village where the retail dispensary is located, and 25% goes to the county.
The tax money generated from cannabis sales goes into Corning’s general fund and can be used for any purpose. Corning’s new budget passed June 1 included a 3.97% tax levy increase to just under $23 million.
Union Chill opened in May 2025 after extensive renovations of The Leader newspaper’s former building at 34 West Pulteney St. Owner Josh Canfield, a Hornell native, said the dispensary draws in customers around the Corning and Elmira areas as well as across the wider Finger Lakes and northern Pennsylvania region, generating strong sales.
“We’ve done well here since opening in May 2025 to where we are now. We are a top 50 cannabis site in the entire state, including New York City and Long Island,” Canfield said. “We’ve done a lot here to expose our brand and show who we are and what we can do for customers and the city as well.”
Culture Canna was the first cannabis dispensary to open in Steuben County when it debuted in March 2025. Culture Canna also renovated the building it calls home, making various improvements to the property at 90 E. Market St. in the Gaffer District.
Matt Coley, co-owner of Culture Canna, said he and co-owner Mark Kamandulis are thankful for the opportunity to open the cannabis dispensary and make a positive impact on the community.
“We’re thankful for the opportunity to be an asset to the City of Corning,” Coley said. “We provide much needed tax revenue to the city and a progressive service to the community. We have improved the East Market Street building inside and out and operated for more than a year without incident, and we plan to keep it that way.”
A little over a year after their debut, Culture Canna and Union Chill remain the only legal cannabis dispensaries open in Steuben County. One dispensary recently popped up in neighboring Allegany County — Southern Tier Cannabis Inc., founded by Elmira natives, while six have opened in neighboring Chemung County — UpState Craft Cannabis, World Piece, CalmUnity Farms, The Goodie Bag, DDMM Dispensary and Rock Quarry Farms.
Statewide, cannabis retail sales reached $1.6 billion in 2025, according to the Office of Cannabis Management. New York state also celebrated the opening of its 500th licensed dispensary in 2025.
State and local officials continue to crack down on illegal cannabis sales. The Elmira Police Department’s Drug Enforcement Unit and the New York State Office of Cannabis Management shut down the illegal sale of cannabis products at two businesses in the city in May.
“Illegal cannabis operations undermine New York State’s regulatory framework, create unfair competition for licensed businesses, and will not be tolerated within our community,” stated the Elmira Police Department.
This article originally appeared on The Leader: Cannabis sales delivering ‘boost’ to Corning city revenues, 1 year in
Reporting by Jeff Smith, Corning Leader / The Leader
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jeff Smith, Corning Leader | USA TODAY Network
