During his state budget address, Governor Andrew Cuomo made clear his plan to legalize recreational marijuana in the coming months. The possibility of New York becoming the 11th state to do so presents new business opportunities, and bodega owners say they want in.

“There is no reason why we cannot be included in the packaging, distribution and sale of marijuana,” said Fernando Mateo, the spokesman for United Bodegas of America. “We have the funding to be able to do it and we do not want to be excluded from the process.”

On Sunday, members of the United Bodegas of America announced they’re sending the governor a letter, requesting to be able to sell marijuana in their stores once it becomes legal. They say big corporations shouldn't be the only ones to profit from the legalization, especially since they say communities of color have been prosecuted disproportionately for marijuana.

The bodega owners say they already sell highly regulated items like cigarettes, beer and lottery tickets, so they should not be excluded from any future marijuana sales. People we spoke with, agree.

“I think that would be great,” said Lauren Rexach. “ It’s better than people selling it on the streets and getting locked up for it...they rather go buy it from the store and know that they’re getting something safe.”

The bodega owners say that for decades marijuana peddling has happened right outside their doors and their businesses have often been implicated in crimes when dealers secretly use their stores to stash marijuana from police.

 “We’ve been having all these issues all these problems,” said Radames Rodriguez, the UBA President. “I think we should get the opportunity.”

Rodriguez says this proposal from the business owners would allow for inclusion and diversity in the budding industry.

The Bodega owners say only safe haven stores would be able to participate in the marijuana sales. These are the stores that have extra safety measures to deter crime, like top-of-the-line security camera systems and panic buttons that can lock doors with a simple click. The bodega owners stress that they don't want to set up dispensaries in their shops, but would like to open their own facility for distribution purposes.