Brothers Rodney Jr. and Brandon Carter had two distinctive life journeys that later merged to form the first Black-owned dispensary in the Queens, NY, neighborhood of Long Island City.
The siblings grew up in a rough area of Queens. Their father struggled with substance addiction since he was 8 years old and later landed behind bars for a cannabis conviction, while their mother battled cancer during their formative years.
“Experiencing a childhood like that can either send you two ways. It sent me down the path towards the streets and sent my brother to school,” Rodney told AFROTECH™.
Before heading to college, Rodney recalls selling marijuana. However, a conversation with his mother inspired him to make better life choices. His mother succumbed to cancer when he was 22 years old, sending him “spiraling even further out of control.” But he will never forget one moment they shared in her final days.
“She begged me to stop selling drugs while she was on her deathbed,” Rodney expressed.
He continued, “I literally saw death on her face, and I saw the pain on her face and realized that she couldn’t let go. She was concerned about me and the rest of our siblings.
