Long Island’s first legal recreational cannabis business cut its ribbon and opened its doors last week, marking another milestone in New York’s ever-expanding adult-use marijuana market. 

The dispensary, called Strain Stars, opened on Saturday in Farmingdale, New York. 

“It was a long way,” Kamaldeep Singh, an owner of the store, told local news station FOX5 New York. “And I’m happy we made it.”

According to the station, “hundreds” of customers lined up amid hot weather for the store’s grand opening. 

News 12 Long Island reported that the grand opening “featured a DJ, food trucks and a ribbon-cutting ceremony.”

New York legalized recreational pot for adults aged 21 and older in the spring of 2021, when then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation into law. 

Parts of the measure took effect immediately––most notably, adults were permitted to smoke weed––but the state-regulated market has been slower to take shape. 

After Cuomo resigned in August of 2021, Kathy Hochul became the state’s first female governor––and immediately made it a priority to get the adult-use cannabis program up and running. 

The first legal adult-use dispensary opened late last year in Manhattan’s East Village neighborhood, and other retailers have since opened in Manhattan.

But other New York City boroughs, along with certain areas in upstate New York, have had to wait longer for their own legal weed businesses. 

That was partly due to an injunction issued by a federal judge that precluded the state from issuing licenses to Brooklyn and western New York, among various areas.

But that injunction was partially lifted in March, clearing the way for the state to issue licenses in Brooklyn and elsewhere.

The first legal cannabis dispensary in the New York City borough of Queens opened that same month. And in addition to the opening of the business on Long Island, the Bronx, another NYC borough, opened its doors last week, too. 

“New York is leading the nation in building a new cannabis industry that advances social justice and provides economic opportunity for those who have been harmed by the inequitable enforcement of cannabis laws,” Hochul said last week in a statement on the opening of the two stores. “With these new dispensaries opening in New York, we are providing safer product to New Yorkers, while furthering our ambitious goals for equity in New York’s cannabis laws.”

According to Hochul’s office, the opening of the retailers in the Bronx and on Long Island brought “the total of legal and licensed dispensaries in the State to 19.”

“As we witness the historic openings of The Bronx and Long Island’s first legal dispensaries, we celebrate a significant step towards equitable access to safer cannabis. This momentous occasion not only brings economic opportunities to these communities but also represents our commitment to fostering a responsible and inclusive cannabis industry. We look forward to the positive impact these dispensaries will have on Bronx and Long Island residents, as we continue to prioritize social equity, public health, and safety while expanding the cannabis market throughout New York State,” said Chris Alexander, Executive Director of the New York State Office of Cannabis Management.

Tremaine Wright, the chairwoman of the New York State Cannabis Control Board, said the openings were a credit to “the leadership of Governor Hochul.”

“These groundbreaking establishments not only provide safe and regulated environments for cannabis access but also serve as a testament to our commitment to fostering inclusive business opportunities. By supporting diverse entrepreneurs and ensuring equitable participation, we are paving the way for a vibrant and representative industry,” Wright said.

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The Shinnecock Indian Nation of New York on Monday began construction of a cannabis dispensary on its tribal lands in eastern Long Island. The new venture, a collaboration between the Shinnecock Nation and international cannabis firm Tilt Holdings, Inc., will feature Little Beach Harvest, a 5,000-square-foot cannabis dispensary located on Shinnecock tribal territory in Southampton, New York.

“I am thrilled to start construction on such an important project for the Shinnecock Nation,” Shinnecock Nation Chairman Bryan Polite said in a statement from the joint venture. “Little Beach Harvest has been working hard with our partner, TILT Holdings, to ensure a first-class dispensary for the New York market. This construction kick-off is a step forward for the Shinnecock Nation and I am excited to be a part of such an amazing journey.”

Those attending Monday’s groundbreaking ceremony included the Shinnecock Nation’s Council of Trustees, Chairman Bryan Polite, the Shinnecock Cannabis Regulatory Division, and tribal members including Chenae Bullock, the managing director of Little Beach Harvest. TILT’s chief operating officer Dana Arvidson, chief financial officer Brad Hoch and state and local officials also attended the event.

Joint Venture on Tribal Lands

The wholly tribal-owned cannabis operation is a partnership between TILT and the Shinnecock Nation and is the culmination of six years of lobbying, outreach, development, and planning by the two entities. Through a joint venture with the Shinnecock Nation’s cannabis economic development firm Conor Green, TILT is financing, building, and providing management services to Little Beach Harvest.

The development of the vertically integrated operation begins this year with the construction of the dispensary and a cannabis cultivation facility. The dispensary is expected to be completed by early next year, while construction on the cannabis cultivation facility will begin by the end of 2022. Future projects planned for the site include a wellness and consumption lounge. The Shinnecock Cannabis Regulatory Division will regulate all operations for each component according to the Shinnecock Nation’s tribal cannabis laws.

“It’s incredible to think that we gathered here almost a year ago to announce our partnership. Now, we return to the Shinnecock Nation’s sovereign land to kick off construction, which is truly a substantial milestone in our journey to create social equity for the Shinnecock Nation,” said Arvidson. “Now, we move forward together in building out not only the physical structure of Little Beach Harvest, but our plan in bringing forward plant medicine as an economic engine for the Shinnecock.”

Dispensary Features Organic Design Aesthetic

Little Beach Harvest will feature a 5,000-square-foot dispensary space and offer drive-through service along the main Southampton roadway, “creating a unique engagement point between the First People and the Hamptons community” only minutes from Southampton’s business district, according to a statement from the Shinnecock Nation.

Current design plans for Little Beach Harvest by T-Arch Studios showcase an organic aesthetic reflective of the Shinnecock Nation’s connection to the area, with natural stone and light wood elements for both the interior and exterior of the dispensary. The Shinnecock Nation Environmental Department, Natural Resources Department and Cultural Enrichment Department worked closely with Little Beach Harvest to ensure that proper tribal protocols were followed before clearing the land developed for the facility.

Bullock, an enrolled member of the Shinnecock Nation, noted, “Anything we envision as a Shinnecock People has to always be for the next seven generations and beyond.”

“The Little Beach Harvest dispensary will be a place where we can share with the world our culture, honor this sacred plant, increase awareness and provide resources for the Shinnecock Nation,” said Bullock. “People who come to our traditional lands to shop in our dispensary will contribute to our economic sustainability. For thousands of years, the people of the Shinnecock Nation have contributed to environmental sustainability, and we are now in times that we can develop economic sustainability through the cannabis industry to continue our stewardship to the earth.”

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