Long Island residents may wonder why, nearly four years after New York State legalized recreational marijuana, there are not many dispensaries in the area.
In 2021, the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act legalized recreational cannabis use in the state. However, one of the provisions allowed New York municipalities the opportunity to opt out of the issuance of licensure for recreational marijuana dispensaries or lounges within their jurisdiction.
Of New York’s 1,520 municipalities, which include towns, cities and villages, nearly half opted out of permitting dispensaries, while almost 900 opted out of allowing consumption sites.
Most municipalities on Long Island opted out of both commercial cannabis options, although four Suffolk County Townships – Babylon, Brookhaven, Riverhead and Southampton – chose to allow dispensaries and consumption locations.
Notably, the three Nassau County towns, Hempstead, North Hempstead and Oyster Bay, and all villages, opted out of both retail marijuana opportunities.
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All these opt-outs have contributed to a considerable dearth of commercial cannabis stores in the greater Long Island area. There are no recreational cannabis stores in Nassau County and only six in Suffolk.
There are also dispensaries in the Shinnecock and Poospatuck Native American reservations, although these stores are not regulated by New York’s Office of Cannabis Management.
With so many Long Island municipalities barring marijuana retail stores and a stringent licensing process for stores opening in areas that do allow them, much of the region does not have nearby dispensaries. This has led to a bunching of stores in only a few spots.
East Farmingdale, a hamlet in Babylon bordering Nassau County, has seen three stores spring up in the past couple of years.
Planet Nugg, the most recent opening in East Farmingdale, underwent a rigorous process before opening its doors to the public. Co-owner Wally Bonilla said that to secure the state’s Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary license, he and his three partners,
Dave Tubens, Humberto Romero and Paul Doreste, had to meet eligibility requirements, which include qualifying business experience, being a minority-owned business and having received a cannabis-related infraction in the past.
Besides securing the license, finding an acceptable location is also a challenge. “The real estate was just as hard as getting the license, especially here on Long Island,” Bonilla said. “The Office of Cannabis Management has certain regulations regarding zoning.”
Retail stores are not permitted in residential areas, requiring the stores to be in industrial zoning and at least 1000 feet
away from any homes, schools or places of worship.
Despite the roadblocks, the few stores that have opened on Long Island have seen a robust appetite for their products. According to the OCM, New York recreational marijuana sales have exceeded well over $1 billion since stores began opening over three years ago.
Planet Nugggoes beyond just selling marijuana; it offers customers store merchandise, from sweatshirts to hats and CBD treats for pets. Co-owner Dave Tubens said the revenue streams will only grow from here.
“There are projections that next year it’s going to be $3 billion and in another two years $8 billion,” he said. Tubens said that plenty of their customers are Nassau County residents, and areas that opted out stand to “lose out on so much in tax revenue.”
While it’s true that areas that opted out may miss out on tax revenue, there were other considerations in the decision to prohibit recreational marijuana shops. Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Jennifer DeSena said safety was paramount in the town’s decision to opt out.
“We’re very concerned about impaired driving and very concerned about our kids,” DeSena said. “Residents care more about the health and safety of their kids than getting some extra revenue.”
DeSena, the former executive director of the Manhasset Coalition Against Substance, believes that many of the perceived benefits of allowing commercial cannabis may ultimately hinder her community. She said that in many states that legalize the substance, there is actually an increase in black market sales.
She also says that after legalization, “There is a perception among parents and young people that marijuana does not harm them, so you see an increase in use.”
At Planet Nugg, Tubens wants to dispel any misconceptions about their business. The practicing chiropractor intends to take what he’s learned from the medical field and apply it to the commercial recreational marijuana experience.
“Our model is customer education; it’s an ‘Apple’ experience where [customers] are greeted by a budtender that has an iPad, and we’ll explain the whole process,” Tubens said.
The store even has a back room called “The Cloud,” built to promote public awareness. It’s a space for people to get together and open a dialogue– with podcasting equipment, a foosball table, a bar area and plenty of room for seating.
They’ve held events like a Narcan training seminar and a fundraiser for an animal shelter and plan on holding a forum for
community leaders to discuss the pros and cons of adult-use recreational marijuana in the future.
Tubens said that customers come in for a myriad of reasons, not just to get high.
“People really are curious about cannabis; they’ve always wanted to try it, and they’ve heard that there are many different effects,” he said, adding “some people come in for anxiety, other people for sleeping disorders: pain management is one of the biggest things that we deal with.”
As the Planet Nugg ownership tries to broaden their reach in their community, DeSena said she hopes to curb the presence of commercial cannabis in hers. A consequence of New York’s opt-out program has been that Nassau County, devoid of retail marijuana stores, has been sandwiched by municipalities allowing these businesses to open.
Stores have sprung up near the county’s borders, like the three in East Farmingdale and two in Queens that border Floral Park and New Hyde Park.
“There is a potential to have a whole row of marijuana stores– very induced to open there– because they want to attract all the business of Nassau County,” DeSena said.
DeSena, along with Hempstead Town Supervisor Don Clavin, have introduced an amendment to MRTA that would add a “buffer zone” to the legislation designed to prevent commercial cannabis stores from opening on the borders of municipalities that don’t allow such businesses.
DeSena said she sees this proposal as a benefit to everybody. “Even on the Queens side, I don’t think that they want to see a line of stores all in a row that could hurt their home values over there.”
While the state’s legislature considers the buffer zone, Planet Nugg looks ahead. Already,ownership is looking to expand to the east. Tubens said they plan to open the “North Fork Cannabis Company” in Riverhead this summer. “We’re going to be creating almost a tourist destination, something that a town could be proud of.”
With plans for fire pits and picnic tables, Tubens envisions a vineyard-style locale in the middle of wine country that seamlessly blends into the community.
Long Island’s commercial cannabis availability is sparse, concentrated only in a handful of areas.
With new legislation to further limit retail space on the horizon, it is unlikely the area will see a substantial increase in stores anytime soon.
However, if more municipalities reverse their decision to opt-out and existing stores continue to expand, the presence of recreational marijuana could see steady growth.
Tyler Rieger is a reporter with the SBU Media Group, part of Stony Brook University’s School
of Communication and Journalism’s Working News program for students and local media.
