Shinnecock Pot Shop Debut Delayed

The recreational marijuana dispensary being built on the Shinnecock Indian Nation territory in Southampton has revised its targeted opening date to early 2023 after initially aiming for the end of this year.

Despite the delay, Little Beach Harvest appears on track to be the first recreational cannabis retailer to open on Long Island, as New York State regulators are still considering license applications and establishing rules.

“We don’t have a firm date yet, but we’re still aiming for [the first quarter],” Amy Larson, a representative of TILT Holdings Inc., a Phoenix-based business consultant financing the $18 million construction in Southampton, told Dan’s Papers.

Little Beach Harvest, a tribally licensed medical cannabis business, will operate a 60,000-square-foot cultivation and processing facility, along with a modern dispensary including a drive through and an adjacent lounge in partnership with TILT and the nation’s cannabis project development firm, Conor Green.

Beyond the Shinnecock territory, the state Cannabis Control Board (CCB) has yet to release the names of the entities that applied for pot shop licenses in the towns of Riverhead, Southampton, Brookhaven and Babylon, nor is it clear when approvals may advance.

The CCB approved conditional cannabis cultivator licensed to at least 10 farms on the East End in the past year, joining more than 200 statewide.