Watch Drugreporter’s new video about Coss Marte, a former convict who, thanks to New York State’s Social Equity Program, now runs three cannabis retail shops and a gym where he employs other formerly incarcerated individuals.
We were filming at the 68th Commission on Narcotic Drugs when we met Coss Marte — an unusual guest at the world’s largest drug policy gathering, where many countries are still clinging to the dystopian vision of a “drug-free world.” We sat in on a side event organized by the IDPC on harm reduction, drug use, and the right to health, where Anand Grover from the Global Commission on Drug Policy engaged in a discussion with the audience.
“Can I get the email address of that doctor in the audience? I’m interested in what he’s doing in New York,” Grover asked.
“I’m not a doctor, I’m a drug dealer,” the young man replied — and the room burst into laughter.
As it turned out, the man was Coss Marte. He had been invited to the CND by John Melhus from the Norwegian Association for Humane Drug Policies, who had stumbled upon one of Coss’s three cannabis retail stores in New York. A former convict turned cannabis entrepreneur, Coss impressed John with the range of inspiring projects he runs — and bringing him to the UN meeting seemed like a perfect idea.
Coss’s mother immigrated to New York from the Dominican Republic. The family grew up in poverty, and Coss began using and dealing drugs at an early age. By the age of 19, he was earning over $2 million a year.
At 23, he was arrested and served six years in prison for drug trafficking. While incarcerated, he started a bodyweight training routine to lose weight — which later became the foundation for his prison-style bootcamp fitness program called CONBODY, launched after his release.
He ran the gym successfully for over two years. His marijuana-related conviction, combined with his entrepreneurial success, made him eligible for New York State’s Cannabis Social Equity Program — an initiative designed to ensure that communities disproportionately impacted by cannabis prohibition can benefit from the legal cannabis industry.
Eligible participants include individuals or communities heavily targeted by past drug laws, people with marijuana-related convictions, minorities, women, veterans, and distressed farmers. A key element of the program is the Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary (CAURD) license — which gives priority to these groups over large corporations in opening dispensaries.
Today, Coss is the CEO of CONBUD, one of the first fully licensed businesses to sell recreational cannabis in Manhattan — and the very first on the city’s Lower East Side. With three cannabis dispensaries, the company generates approximately $800,000 in monthly sales, including nearly $100,000 in profit. In 2024, CONBUD made $7 million in revenue and paid $1 million in taxes.
Coss still runs CONBODY, and his mission remains clear: to help formerly incarcerated individuals transform their lives through fitness. His team visits jails regularly, offering a specialized training program to inmates. Those who complete it successfully are offered immediate employment at the gym.
Coss doesn’t shy away from hiring people with even the most serious convictions:
“For me, I see a human being who made a mistake. The majority of people in there are good people. Most companies don’t look at their employees that way. That’s what I’m trying to build — a different corporate structure and a different way of seeing people: as humans.”
The video was financed by the Robert Carr Fund, via the Harm Reduction Consortium. Special thanks to the International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC) and John Melhus from the Norwegian Association for Humane Drug Policies (FHN).
Reporter: Péter Sárosi
Video & Article: István Gábor Takács
