LI's 1st State-Approved Cannabis Dispensary Opens In Farmingdale

FARMINGDALE, NY — Strain Stars, a licensed adult-use cannabis dispensary, opened in Farmingdale on Saturday, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced. The store is at 1815 Broadhollow Road.

It marks Long Island's first state-approved recreational cannabis dispensary.

Another cannabis dispensary opened in the Bronx, with two others coming to the Capital Region and Southern Tier. The state will have 19 legal and licensed dispensaries.

"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 in a news release. "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."

Strain Stars is owned and operated by Yuvraj Singh, Tushar Mallick, Jasmin Kaur, Kamaldeep Singh, Darminder Sing, and Gurmeet Sing. For five years, Singh, a justice-involved applicant, has owned and operated Whitestone Mart Inc., a gas station in Whitestone, with a retail storefront attached to it. Singh also holds a hemp cannabinoid retail license issued by The Office of Cannabis Management.

Yuvraj Singh and Kaur are siblings, while Kamaldeep is their cousin, Newsday reported. Mallick is a family friend. The store will carry more than 400 items from 16-state approved suppliers. Only people 21 or older can buy.

Products include pre-rolled joints and vape cartridges, body balm, gummies, cans of seltzer and tins of coffee beans, according to Newsday. The store will feature four security guards and 15 employees.

The state set a 3-ounce limit on cannabis in one purchase, News 12 Long Island reported.

Cannabis user Andy Graubart told Fox 5 NY that marijuana "saved my life," and if used properly, helps with ADHD, bipolar, anxiety and depression.

New York legalized recreational marijuana in 2021.