The US Open is not played on grass, but there was apparently still plenty of green on Monday as the year’s final tennis grand slam began in New York. 

On the women’s side, the eighth-seeded Maria Sakkari lost in an opening round upset to the unseeded Spaniard Rebeka Masarova in straight sets –– a match that the Greek Sakkari let slip away.

Leading 4-1 over Masarova in the first set, Sakkari reportedly complained to the chair umpire about a distinct smell that lingered over the court.

“It was weed,” Sakkari said after the match, as quoted by the Associated Press.

Sakkari never won another game in that set, ultimately losing in straights, 6-4, 6-4, to Masarova.

“The smell, oh my gosh,” Sakkari said. “I think it’s from the park.”

The US Open, held annually in Flushing, Queens, unfolds in a very different setting than most tennis tournaments. Nearby subway trains can be clearly heard inside the venues, and the area –– also home to the New York Mets’ stadium and a park –– attracts plenty of revelers. 

Since 2021, when recreational marijuana was legalized in New York, the familiar odor of cannabis has also become part of the US Open experience. 

At last year’s Open, Australian men’s player Nick Kyrgios also noted the aroma during his second-round match.

“You don’t want to remind anyone not to do it or anything?” Kyrgios said to the umpire in the match, which he won in four sets.

After the match, Kyrgios said that the smell is a hindrance for him on the court.

“People don’t know that I’m a heavy asthmatic so when I’m running side to side and struggling to breathe already, it’s probably not something I want to be breathing in between points,” Kyrgios said at the time.

CNN reported at the time that the umpire in Kyrgios’ match “reminded fans to refrain from smoking around the court as play got back underway.”

Sakkari, for her part, did not have many complaints about the smell, and downplayed its role in her loss on Monday.

“You don’t really think about it, because all you care is just to win the match,” Sakkari said, as quoted by the Associated Press. “I smelled it, but that was it. Like, it wasn’t something that I paid attention to.”

“Sometimes you smell food, sometimes you smell cigarettes, sometimes you smell weed,” she added. “I mean, it’s something we cannot control, because we’re in an open space. There’s a park behind. People can do whatever they want.”

The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, which plays host to the US Open every year, has a strict policy against smoking on the grounds.

“Refrain from smoking, as this is a smoke free environment,”  reads the venue’s code of conduct.

Adult-use marijuana was made legal in the Empire State in 2021, when then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill into law ending the prohibition. The law immediately enabled adults aged 21 and older to toke up wherever smoking is prohibited. 

But Cuomo’s successor, current New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, signed a bill into law last year that limits where New Yorkers can get high.

The bill explicitly prohibited smoking “in all state-owned beaches, boardwalks, marinas, playgrounds, recreation centers, and group camps.” 

“Smoking is a dangerous habit that affects not only the smoker but everyone around them, including families and children enjoying our state’s great public places,” Hochul said in a statement after signing the bill. “I’m proud to sign this legislation that will protect New Yorkers’ health and help reduce litter in public parks and beaches across the state.”

Hochul’s office explained at the time that many “municipalities and local governments already have restrictions or bans on smoking in public spaces. This additional penalty will enforce a statewide prohibition and includes a fine that will be collected by localities,” 

“In addition to the health risks posed by secondhand smoke, cigarette butts are a major environmental hazard due to the non-biodegradable filters that are discarded. They are the leading item found during cleanup projects. Through this prohibition, parks and beaches will be kept cleaner and safer as will our local ecosystems,” the governor’s office explained in the press release issued at the time.

Under the new law, which applies both to smoking tobacco and cannabis, violators will be subject to a fine of $50.

New York’s legal cannabis market officially launched late last year, with the opening of a dispensary in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan.

Under the state’s marijuana law, the first 100-200 dispensary license holders will be individuals with prior pot-related convictions. 

“New York State is making history, launching a first-of-its-kind approach to the cannabis industry that takes a major step forward in righting the wrongs of the past,” Hochul said last year. “The regulations advanced by the Cannabis Control Board today will prioritize local farmers and entrepreneurs, creating jobs and opportunity for communities that have been left out and left behind. I’m proud New York will be a national model for the safe, equitable and inclusive industry we are now building.”

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The philanthropic group led by New York Mets owner Steve Cohen and his wife, Alexandra, is donating millions of dollars toward the advancement of research into psychedelic drugs. 

The Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation has offered a $5 million grant to MAPS, or the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelics Studies, a nonprofit dedicated to researching the potential of psychedelic drugs for medical use.

The grant will assist “with vital mission support as it enters the final stages of the drug development process for MDMA-assisted therapy for the treatment of PTSD,” MAPS said on Wednesday in a press release.

“We extend tremendous gratitude to the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation for their unwavering support in helping us bring MDMA-assisted therapy through the pipeline and toward potential FDA approval. Our hearts are uplifted by their commitment to equitable access—a crucial element for us to try to bring healing for all,” said Rick Doblin, the founder and president of MAPS.

MAPS said that it “plans to submit the New Drug Application for MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD to the FDA later this year.”

“If the treatment is approved by the FDA, advocates and companies will work to integrate approved therapy into the healthcare system. However, not unlike many other mental healthcare treatments and therapies, those who are prescribed the treatment and are without insurance coverage, or the means to pay out-of-pocket costs, may face financial burdens to access the therapy,” the organization said in Wednesday’s announcement. “This innovative grant not only supports MAPS’ mission today, but also will establish the foundation of a financial assistance program for patients if MDMA- and other psychedelic-assisted therapies are approved by the FDA.”

“Millions of Americans, including our veterans and first responders, suffer from PTSD and other mental health conditions that affect their quality of life. Psychedelic compounds represent a new opportunity to address these often treatment-resistant conditions and bring hope to patients,” said Alexandra Cohen.

Steve Cohen made his fortune as a hedge fund manager; according to Forbes, he is worth an estimated $17.5 billion. In 2020, he completed his $2.4 billion purchase of the Mets.

The Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation was founded in 2001 and has “given $741.7 million in gifts to organizations that improve children’s healthcare and education, serve the underserved, support the arts, protect the environment, and further Lyme and tickborne disease research,” according to the official website. 

The foundation has also demonstrated a strong commitment to the promotion of psychedelic therapy, calling itself “one of the largest private funders of psychedelic research in the country.”

According to its website, the foundation has given nearly $19 million toward “psychedelic projects.” The foundation says that it has “committed over $10 million of philanthropic support to MAPS’ mission, including MAPS-sponsored clinical research of MDMA-assisted therapy.”

In 2021, the foundation gave $2.1 million to Mount Sinai in New York “to help fund a large study comparing two and three sessions of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy in combat veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).”

“The Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation has been at the forefront of philanthropic giving for the benefit of our combat veterans. This generous gift will allow us to dedicate our efforts to studying the effect of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy in combat veterans with PTSD,” Rachel Yehuda, the director of Mount Sinai’s Center for Psychedelic Psychotherapy and Trauma Research, said at the time. “We are extremely grateful for their support of our mission to revolutionize the treatment of trauma survivors with psychedelic psychotherapy and better understand the mechanisms of resilience and recovery from trauma.”

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Called “Good Grades,” the dispensary will also be the first legal cannabis store in the New York City borough of Queens. 

“With the opening of Good Grades in Queens, we’re continuing to build on our progress to create a safe, regulated cannabis industry in New York,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a press release on Monday. “New York is working to support entrepreneurs and ensure that consumers can purchase safe, legal products while supporting their communities.”

Hochul, the state’s first woman governor, has overseen the launch of the state’s regulated cannabis market. Her predecessor, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, signed the bill legalizing recreational marijuana in 2021. 

The state formally launched the new marijuana market late last year with the opening of a dispensary in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan. 

Good Grades will open this week as a “pop-up” store, according to the governor’s press release, and the business is supported by the New York State Social Equity Cannabis Investment Fund, which was a part of Hochul’s 2022-23 budget.

The fund “is a public-private limited partnership that will be formed to position social equity entrepreneurs to succeed in New York’s newly created adult use cannabis industry,” Hochul’s office says, and “will allow the state to invest in a private fund to finance the leasing and equipping of up to 150 conditional adult-use retail dispensaries in New York State to be operated by individuals who have been impacted by the inequitable enforcement of marijuana laws.”

The governor’s office said that, like other dispensaries backed by the fund, Good Grades opening as a pop-up presents “the opportunity to open on a short-term basis to fast-track sales, provide training opportunities for employees and start generating capital for their businesses.”

“After, they will close for final construction and then re-open on a long-term basis,” according to this week’s press release.

“I am thrilled to be opening the doors of Good Grades, the very first dispensary in Queens, New York,” said Good Grades owner Extasy James. 

“We are incredibly passionate about providing greater access to cannabis and breaking down the barriers that prevent so many people, especially those from marginalized communities, from experiencing the benefits of this amazing plant. We understand firsthand the stigma that has been attached to cannabis for far too long, and we are eager to join the thriving cannabis community to help change that. Our dispensary is a welcoming and inclusive space where anyone can come to learn, explore, and find the products that are best suited to their unique needs.”

New York City opened its third legal dispensary last month––not to be confused with the illicit cannabis retailers that have blanketed all five boroughs in the last two years. 

The first dispensary outside of NYC also opened to customers last month.

Earlier this month, the state announced that it would double the number of cannabis retailer licenses, and will now award 300 instead of the originally planned 150.

“With this expansion, more entrepreneurs will be able to participate in the first wave of this industry, allowing them to capitalize on the growing demand for cannabis products,” said Tremaine Wright, chair of the New York Cannabis Control Board. “As more businesses enter this market, the innovation and competition will increase, leading to better quality experiences for consumers. The expansion of New York’s cannabis market will benefit everyone involved in this exciting industry.” 

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