Model Was Arrested for Cannabis Possession. 13 Years Later, She’s the First Woman Licensed to Sell in New York

Jennifer Tzar has never shied away from life’s twists and turns.

From a childhood in Minnesota — including time in foster care — to modeling in Europe and eventually breaking through as a photojournalist, Tzar says her journey has always moved at lightning speed.

“I went to school for science at the University of Minnesota. I got a waitressing job. I got picked up for modeling. Then I modeled for two years, ended up in Europe. And I met my daughter’s father, who’s a fashion designer, and got pregnant immediately. And then, because I was pregnant, I needed a job. I had met Patti Wilson, the fashion stylist, and I started assisting her,” Tzar recalls of those early, fast-changing years.

She admits the fashion industry was unexpected for her. “The whole fashion thing was really weird, and it was weird that I was even good at it. I wanted to do something that had [more] substance.”

Tzar worked as a stylist for eight years before shifting toward photography. “I started doing journalism. I started doing a lot of science stuff and underwater photography, and a lot of travel. I went to Kosovo during the war in ’97. I covered that,” she says.

She describes sneaking into Kosovo during the NATO bombings with Bob Guccione Jr., founder of SPIN. That led to a mix of journalism and fashion work, along with shooting record covers for artists like Ozzy Osbourne, Bruce Springsteen, and Snoop Dogg. But the industry began to collapse in 2011. “All of a sudden, there’s no record covers,” she explains.

After buying property in Northern California, she built a home with her then-boyfriend, cared for her daughter through illness, and imagined a life off the grid. But when money became tight, she reluctantly turned to cannabis. “I was getting 40 lbs. a week shipped in, making $40,000 in cash a week,” she admits.

The turning point came when a fire in her SoHo apartment exposed over 10 lbs. of cannabis. “I got arrested, and it made international news. Everyone knew about it. It was a total nightmare, and it really messed up my photo career. It was the last straw.”

At the time, she had also ended her relationship and lost the apartment she had lived in for 21 years. She describes the period as devastating: “I was heartbroken, homeless, arrested. I walked down the street and I’d run into somebody I know, and they’d [have just heard about it].”

Facing serious charges, Tzar thought prison was inevitable. But her lawyer encouraged her to gather letters of support. “I was a single mother. I raised my kid without any child support or family help. And I think this was the beautiful part — everybody described the same person. It really made me feel good about myself, that I’m a strong person, a good person,” she reflects.

Instead of jail time, she avoided a felony altogether. “It was a huge relief. I didn’t even get probation,” she says. Still, she needed a way forward. When her landlord offered a buyout years later, she took it and used the money to start a business.

That led to opening a bar in Hudson, New York, followed by another in Los Angeles, though the pandemic cut the latter short. Then, New York legalized cannabis. A friend urged her to apply for one of the first 150 licenses reserved for people with past cannabis arrests, prioritizing women and people of color.

“My first reaction was, ‘The last thing in the world I want to do is open a cannabis dispensary.’ I just thought of a bunch of bro dudes sitting around eating Doritos or whatever,” she laughs. But as she looked into it, she realized it could work.

She qualified for the license due to her business experience and poured her energy into it. Eventually, she became the first woman in New York State licensed to sell cannabis.

Her dispensary, Dagmar Cannabis, opened in SoHo and quickly thrived. Another location in Williamsburg is on the way. “This place looks more like a boutique. It’s really weird. There’s no reason it should be a cannabis store, but it’s working,” she says.

The clientele has surprised her, ranging from fashion insiders and celebrities to finance professionals and older adults. “It’s so much healthier than alcohol or tobacco. To me, it’s a great alternative,” she notes.

Looking ahead, Tzar envisions expanding beyond cannabis — into lifestyle products like luggage, leather goods, and even hotels. “I like creating worlds where people want to be a part of it,” she explains.

Her unusual path, she says, is simply how her life unfolds: “That’s just how my life is — one weird thing to another. Maybe because I’m a Gemini. Every time something starts to work, I just get thrown on my ass. But now I like having to start fresh and challenge my own mind. I’ve gotten to experience so many things. It’s awesome.”

With Dagmar, she feels she has finally built something lasting. “I feel really proud of it. It was such an incredible opportunity, and it’s a new industry. I turned it into what I wanted it to be, something that I feel comfortable being in. It feels great.”

And she hopes her story inspires others — especially women. “I really see going deep into business now, how much misogyny is actually around me, or around in the world. I would hope to empower women and younger people.”