NY gave these weed entrepreneurs a leg up. Now, they could face financial ruin.

A multi-story, green-and-white sign reading “Con Bud” is being erected over the facade of 85 Delancey St. on the Lower East Side, where Coss Marte plans to open his marijuana dispensary.

Marte put down a $420,000 deposit on a 10-year lease in the building and is on the hook for $38,000 a month in rent starting Oct. 1. He’s in the process of moving his nearby gym, Conbody, above the planned dispensary to create a co-branded space for both businesses.

For Marte, who served six years in prison for selling marijuana and other drugs, the chance to sell weed legally was “an unbelievable dream.” But he is now one of hundreds of entrepreneurs statewide whose plans have been put on hold indefinitely due to an injunction issued last month by a state Supreme Court judge against New York’s Conditional Adult Use Dispensary (CAURD) program.

Gothamist spoke to half a dozen CAURD license holders about what they have at stake. Some have borrowed money from family members, put down hefty deposits on real estate and inked expensive contracts while putting their personal finances and other businesses on the line.

Read the full story on Gothamist.com.