MjLink Cannabis Business News and Press

Flora Growth named Elshad Garayev as its CFO and elected Brandon Konigsberg to its board of directors.

Garayev joins the company with more than 25 years of experience in finance, specifically in developing and implementing accounting and reporting policies and finance teams, according to a company release. He has served in a range of financial leadership roles at companies including Amazon, Boeing BP and RPK Capital, according to the release.

“I am very excited to join Flora and to becomes its chief financial officer,” Garayev said. “As one of the largest cultivators licensed by the federal government of Colombia, their robust portfolio of brands and the future of research in the space, Flora presents a truly amazing opportunity to lead the global cannabis supply chain. Through financial discipline, transparency and industry-leading reporting practices, I believe Flora will lead the way for the next generation of cannabis companies.”

In his new role, Garayev will be responsible for financial control and governance, cash management, and will assist in executing the company’s strategy to drive profitable growth while enhancing shareholder value, according to the release.

Garayev will officially assume the role of CFO following the company’s filing of its mid-year financial results. Until then, he will serve as vice president of finance while current CFO Lee Leiderman transitions into an advisory role.

LONDON, England, July 18, 2022 - PRESS RELEASE - Curaleaf International, a vertically integrated cannabis company in Europe, is pleased to announce that it has appointed Miles Worne as president, effective July 11, 2022. Antonio Costanzo, the company's former CEO, will remain with the company in a consultancy capacity, with his role transitioning to focus on M&A and Regulatory Affairs. Worne's appointment as president is part of the company's long-term strategy to drive growth as the European cannabis market opens up to adult-use, as well to ensure continued expansion in the medical cannabis market. The appointment of a president reflects Curaleaf's commitment to capitalizing on the ever-changing landscape and opportunities within the international cannabis marketplace.

"It has been an honor to have co-founded and served as CEO of Curaleaf International since the company's inception in 2018," Costanzo said. "In that short time, we have built [one of] Europe's largest vertically integrated cannabis compan[ies], culminating in the acquisition by Curaleaf Holdings in 2021. I look forward to working with Miles and the wider team as we take the company forward to its next stage of development and growth. The market is evolving considerably with significant opportunities across Europe, and I look forward to applying my significant regulatory and M&A experience to help drive the company forward as the global industry leader."

Miles Worne has significant experience in building consumer brands and joins Curaleaf International from Glanbia plc, where he was European managing director of Glanbia Performance Nutrition, the global leader in sports nutrition and weight management. During the past four years at Glanbia, Worne grew brands such as Slimfast, Body & Fit, Optimum Nutrition and Amazing Grass across European markets.

"I am delighted to join [one of] Europe's largest vertically integrated cannabis compan[ies], which already has a market-leading medical cannabis offering," Worne said. "I believe Curaleaf International is ideally positioned to leverage the growing European recreational opportunity and will utilize my significant experience of building strong consumer brands in Europe to help take advantage of the growing momentum in the cannabis industry. I look forward to working with my new colleagues at Curaleaf International in this incredibly exciting period for cannabis in Europe."

Matt Darin, CEO of Curaleaf Holdings, Inc., added, "I would like to welcome Miles Worne as President of Curaleaf International. Miles's expertise in building strong household name global consumer brands will be invaluable as the European cannabis opportunity continues to evolve. We are extremely excited by the growing opportunity for cannabis across Europe and beyond, and are bullishly optimistic for the next few years as cultural and government acceptance grows. I would also like to thank Antonio Costanzo for what he has achieved as CEO of Curaleaf International in building [one of] Europe's largest vertically integrated cannabis compan[ies]. Antonio's experience in M&A and regulatory savvy will be invaluable to Curaleaf International as we capitalize on the growing European opportunity."

The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors voted against a cannabis business tax measure July 12, which could have allowed more cannabis dispensaries to open in unincorporated areas in Sacramento County, California.

Currently, Sacramento and Isleton are the only cities within the county that permit cannabis dispensaries. 

RELATED: Sacramento Will Now Allow Dispensary Business Ownership Transfers

The proposal needed four yes votes from the five board members to be put before voters in the November election, but only three voted yes–with Supervisors Don Nottoli and Sue Frost declining, Capradio reported.

 “It’s not that I’m opposed to a vote,” Frost said. “It’s that I’m opposed to a vote where two-thirds of the constituents are making a decision for those that are singled out as impacted by that vote.”

Supervisors Phil Serna, Patrick Kennedy and Rich Desmond all voted to put the measure before voters in November, arguing that it would boost the county’s budget, help combat the illicit market and allow the county to compete with the city of Sacramento’s cannabis tax revenue, Capradio reported.

EWING, New Jersey, July 14, 2022 - PRESS RELEASE - Orcosa Inc., a clinical-stage life sciences company, announced the appointment of Andrew C. von Eschenbach, Ph.D., former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as senior advisor. In his role, Eschenbach will provide strategic counsel on regulatory and public affairs, clinical trial development, and other corporate matters.

“We are honored and privileged to have Dr. von Eschenbach join our team as senior advisor,” said Bryan Ridall, president of Orcosa. “His commitment to improving public health, and his uniquely complete understanding of patients’ needs, and the dynamics of biopharmaceutical research and development are an invaluable complement to our leadership team. We are grateful for his support as we continue to execute on our long-term strategy.”

"As a physician and former FDA Commissioner, I was immediately impressed with Orcosa’s innovative drug delivery platform and thoughtful approach to clinical development and collaboration," Eschenbach said. "The company’s [Rapid Infusion Technology Platform] RITe platform is already demonstrating how it has incredible potential to improve patient outcomes across a range of therapeutic areas—including most critically, in pain management to help reduce opioid usage. I am excited to be part of the Orcosa team, particularly at such a pivotal time in the company’s growth story.”

Eschenbach is widely recognized as a leading physician, surgeon, oncologist, and executive and served as commissioner of the FDA from 2006 to 2009 after being appointed acting commissioner in 2005. In that role, he developed and oversaw the FDA’s Critical Path Initiative, which aimed at improving the regulatory pathway for drugs and medical devices. Eschenbach joined FDA after serving for four years as director of the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health, and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Reagan-Udall Foundation for the FDA.

Eschenbach earned a B.S. from St. Joseph’s University and his medical degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine. After completing a residency in urologic surgery at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia, he was an instructor in urology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He completed a Fellowship in Urologic Oncology at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

The Parent Company (TPCO) agreed to a distribution partnership with Nabis to expand its brand presence in California.

Beginning this month, Nabis will distribute all TPCO products to licensed retailers across The Golden State. The partnership will increase efficiencies for both companies as well as retailers, by offering a streamlined transactional process and two-day shipping, according to a press release from Nabis.

RELATED: The Parent Company, Curio Wellness Partner in Maryland

“We are excited to be the exclusive wholesaling partner for The Parent Company,” said Vince Ning, co-CEO and co-founder of Nabis. “Their world-class team’s dedication to technology as a way to lower costs, and devotion to bringing the best-quality products to market, mirrors Nabis’ long-term investments in our innovative platform that connects brands with retailers, giving consumers better access to legal cannabis products.”

TPCO previously handled its own distribution, according to the release, but will now rely on a strategic partner in Nabis to increase efficiencies and brand awareness.

Cheboygan, Mich. (June 30, 2022) – PRESS RELEASE – PharmaCann Inc., one of the nation’s largest privately held, vertically integrated cannabis companies, has announced the grand opening of its Cheboygan, Mich., LivWell Enlightened Health dispensary on Saturday, July 2, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. EST. The dispensary is located at 123 E. State St. and is LivWell’s first adult-use dispensary in Michigan. Cheboygan is located in the heart of northern Michigan on the scenic Straits of Mackinac, where the Cheboygan River and Lake Huron meet.

On the eve of the adult-use cannabis launch back in July 2017, Nevada State Sen. Tick Segerblom promised the world that Las Vegas would become a legal marijuana paradise unlike anything ever seen before. He called it “Amsterdam on Steroids,” an ambitious yet vaguely realistic goal for a city that specializes in around-the-clock accommodations replete with glitz, glamour and extravagance.

“Las Vegas will be the global capital of legal cannabis,” Segerblom declared at an event the night before adult-use sales officially launched. “People will come from everywhere to enjoy our industry.”

Five years later, Sin City is home to the globe’s two largest dispensaries, the biggest and priciest products—including a 1.5-ounce weed cigar that sold for $11,000 and a 24-foot glass bong on display at a local cannabis museum—and countless drive-thrus that let people purchase the plant like fast food. Over a half-dozen Native American tribes across Nevada have opened dispensaries of their own, and cannabis taxes have contributed some $250 million to the state’s public schools.

Yet the road at times has been anything but smooth sailing. And there’s still a final, all-important step to go.

Still Waiting for Lounges

Without cannabis consumption lounges, the millions of tourists that fill hotels on the Vegas Strip and downtown Sin City are still stuck using the plant against the law—even when they buy it legally.

“We’ve been waiting for more than three years to open consumption lounges,” explained Frank Hawkins, a former Las Vegas City Councilman and owner of Nevada Wellness Center dispensary. “But we’ve been stymied every time by the gaming industry.”

Detroit City Council opened the city’s adult-use cannabis business application process for five license types in April, but aspiring retailers were not among those eligible to apply.

That will soon change after councilmembers unanimously voted July 12 to open the application process for adult-use cannabis dispensaries, consumption lounges and microbusinesses, according to a local Click On Detroit report.

The Office of Marijuana Ventures and Entrepreneurship will accept applications for these license types from Aug. 1 through Aug. 31, the news outlet reported.

Applicants must first apply and obtain certification through Michigan’s Marijuana Regulatory Agency, according to Click On Detroit, and then they can apply with the city, which will process applications in four 30-day phases.

Detroit will ultimately license 20 retailers (all social equity applicants), 10 consumption lounges (five social equity and five non-social equity applicants) and five microbusinesses (all social equity applicants).

Connecticut’s regulators have approved their first batch of adult-use cannabis licenses after the state’s Social Equity Council voted July 12 to greenlight 16 cultivation applications.

The licensees, selected from a pool of 41 applicants, meet the state’s social equity requirements, which include specifications on income and residency, as well as a rule that the business is at least 65% owned by the social equity applicant, according to a local WTNH report.

“Our goal was and is to affirm that social equity applicants are true owners of their businesses,” said Social Equity Council Chair Andrea Comer at the start of Tuesday’s virtual meeting, according to WTNH. “Promoting equity in the cannabis industry is our primary charge.”

The Social Equity Council was created by the Legislature in Connecticut’s adult-use cannabis law, which Gov. Ned Lamont signed last summer. The council is meant to oversee the rollout of the state’s adult-use industry to ensure it benefits those most adversely impacted by cannabis prohibition.

The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection received more than 37,000 applications in May and June from businesses looking to secure licenses for adult-use cannabis cultivation, manufacturing, packaging, transportation and retail, and 63% of those applicants self-identified as social equity applicants, according to The Connecticut Examiner.

In partnership with 3FifteenPrimo Cannabis, a Missouri-based medical cannabis company, Cookies is opening its first retail location in Missourithis weekend.

"We feel honored andexcited to be the first cannabis company in Missouri to bring the iconicCookies brand retail store to our patients here in the Show Me State,"Jason Corrado, co-founder and CEO of 3Fifteen Primo Cannabis, said in a press release. "Cookies was born in California, has growninternational, and today boasts a huge brand following due to their innovativeproducts and proprietary strain genetics library. We look forward to supportingthis thriving community by bringing this well-respected and top-sellingcannabis brand to Missouri."

According to the pressrelease, grand opening festivities will include live music, food, giveaways,and much more and will take place at 10 a.m. CST July 16. Visitors at the grandopening will also have the opportunity to win one year of free Cookies. Inaddition, "15 others will be chosen for an exclusive event with Berner on Aug.6." Berner is Cookies' co-founder and CEO and is a rapper and entrepreneurfrom the Bay Area of California.

The company's new locationwill feature a variety of THC and CBD products and will include several ofCookies' in-house brands including, Lemonnade, Collins Ave, Runtz, Minntz andmuch more, according to the release.

Entertainment is not confined to inside casinos in Las Vegas, as tourists catch can catch the water show at the Fountains of Bellagio, which propel water more than 450 feet toward the sky, while walking on the Strip, or simply stand and look up at the light displays at the Freemont Street Experience.

Planet 13 has embraced and embodied that entertainment culture in its SuperStore, apparent from the moment visitors step foot inside the dispensary, with its responsive digital koi pond and aerial orb show—it’s all about creating an experience and dazzling customers, especially tourists.

In building that 112,000-square-foot cannabis retail facility, there were lessons that founders and co-CEOs Robert Groesbeck and Larry Scheffler learned, and from their experience launching their first store, Medizin, in Nevada’s medical market before adult-use sales were legal in the state. But economic realities have shifted dramatically since they launched the Planet 13 SuperStore in 2018, and even since October 2021, when the company’s Harvest Health and Recreation acquisition in the Florida market was finalized.

While the company is known for its extravagant dispensaries, operations are now focused on maximizing efficiency in light of inflation and other economic challenges, Groesbeck says.   

“As we tell our managers now, when you’re putting orders in to purchase, it’s not what you want, it’s what you absolutely have to have to operate,” he says. “There really are no luxuries here.”

In this conversation, Groesbeck shares early lessons learned as he and Scheffler were building Medizin and later Planet 13, and how they are using that experience to navigate the next economic cycle.

The historic southern French region of Occitania is experiencing a hemp textile renaissance, and not with just any fabric, but with the durable, long-fiber denim fabric used in jeans.

Beside the fame of its historic wine region Languedoc, the area was once well known for extensive commercial hemp cultivation that supplied countryside weaving workshops.

Occitania’s climate is dominated by its proximity to the Mediterranean Sea, resulting in mild winters, hot, dry summers and warm autumns. It is the sunniest region of France, with more than 300 days of sunshine, but also receives sufficient summer rain to support hemp cultivation.

The mountainous landscape is intersected by fertile river valleys and rocky clay soils that are rich in limestone and well-suited for hemp fiber production.

The Birthplace of Denim

The ancient Roman city of Nimes—situated in the heart of Occitania—is famous for its iconic fabric Serge de Nimes. Serge, which is no longer produced in France, was a sturdy twill weave fabric woven with hemp and dyed indigo. The material was used to make jeans and was later given the name “denim,” which is a term commonly used to describe jeans' fabric today.

France has a lengthy experience with commercial production of hemp fabric. During the 19th century, France exported the fabrics throughout Europe and to America.

CALGARY, Alberta, July 13, 2022 - PRESS RELEASE - High Tide Inc., retail-focused cannabis company with bricks-and-mortar as well as global e-commerce assets, announced today that its Canna Cabana retail cannabis store located at 10027 100 Street in Fort St. John, British Columbia will begin selling recreational cannabis products and consumption accessories for adult use at 4:20 PM local time today. This opening will represent High Tide's 128th branded retail location across Canada, and 1st in British Columbia, selling recreational cannabis products and consumption accessories. 

"Our first organic store opening in British Columbia is a much-awaited and [a] very positive milestone for High Tide. This is the result of many months of hard work by our team as we navigated the regulatory process to enter the province. I am excited that we finally have the opportunity to bring our innovative discount club model, which has been a proven hit with our customers in the four provinces where we already operate, to British Columbia," said Raj Grover, Hight Tide CEO and president. "Combined with last week's announced acquisition of two operating retail cannabis stores in Vancouver through the Choom BC store portfolio, we are entering the province in a big way and are already almost halfway to the provincial store cap. With this foothold in British Columbia, I anticipate that we will be able to expand quickly through both organic growth and strategic acquisitions, putting us in a position to reach the cap of 8 stores in the coming months."

BOCA RATON, Florida, July 13, 2022 - PRESS RELEASE - Jushi Holdings Inc., a vertically integrated, multi-state cannabis operator, announced that Ed Kremer has resigned from his position as chief financial officer to accept a role at a competing large cannabis multi-state operator. Kremer’s resignation took effect July 12. Kremer is party to an employment agreement with Jushi, which, among other things, prohibits him from working for a competitor for a 12-month period. While Jushi is appreciative of Kremer’s hard work to support the timely filing of audited financials, the company takes such post-employment obligations seriously and will take steps to enforce its contractual rights.

The company announced that President and Founder, Jon Barack, will assume the additional role of interim chief financial officer with immediate effect. Since Jushi’s founding, Founder has played an instrumental role in overseeing multiple business lines and corporate activities, including capital raising, going public and deal-making, as well as operational oversight of various departments such as FP&A, business development, IT, construction and real estate. Founder has worked in finance and investing for nearly 20 years following the receipt of a JD and MBA from Northwestern University and a BA from Princeton University.

Jushi also announced that James Cabral has been promoted to chief accounting executive. Cabral joined Jushi in July 2021 as the senior vice president of finance. He previously held audit and accounting roles at various organizations, including vice president, global controller at Brightstar Corp., a multi-billion dollar wireless company, and as senior manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers’ National Office. Cabral is a certified public accountant and holds an MBA degree from Northwestern University, a Master's in Accounting from Nova Southeastern University, and a BS in Business Administration and Accounting from the University of the Philippines.

“Over the past year, we have made tremendous progress upgrading our talent and building out our bench strength across our finance and accounting departments,” said Jim Cacioppo, Jushi CEO, founder and chairman. “I am confident that the team we have assembled, with the support of senior leadership, will provide continuity as we recruit a new chief financial officer with the qualifications to support our expansion initiatives and complete the securities registration process in the U.S.”

Jushi clarified that Kremer’s resignation was not the result of any financial problem, dispute or matter relating to accounting practices or financial statements.

TALLAHASSEE, Florida, July 13, 2022 - PRESS RELEASE - Trulieve Cannabis Corp., a cannabis company in the United States, announced the opening of its new medical dispensary in Hollywood, Fla. Located at 2908 Hollywood Blvd., the Hollywood dispensary opened at 9 a.m Tuesday, July 12, with ongoing regular hours of 9 a.m.- 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a..m - 8 p.m. on Sunday.

Grand opening festivities throughout the day at the new dispensary included numerous partner giveaways, music, food trucks, deals and specials, and all registered patients will receive a 25% discount. Trulieve also offers statewide home delivery, convenient online ordering and in-store pickup. As always, all first-time guests are eligible for a 50% new customer discount at any Florida-based location.

"Trulieve is excited to expand access to medical cannabis to more patients in Florida and build strong relationships in the Hollywood community," said Kim Rivers, CEO of Trulieve. "We are driven by our commitment to providing tailored, high-quality patient care in a safe and comfortable environment."

Trulieve's retail employees are trained to provide personalized patient care and support individuals at every stage of their cannabis journeys. Trulieve dispensaries throughout Florida offer on-site consultations to help patients obtain appropriate medical products and dosages to ensure optimal cannabis experiences.

Trulieve patients across Florida can choose from a large selection of THC and CBD products available in a variety of consumption methods, including smokable flower, concentrates, edibles, capsules, syringes, tinctures, topical creams, vaporizers, and more.

LAS VEGAS, July 12, 2022 – PRESS RELEASE – Planet 13 Holdings Inc., a leading vertically integrated multistate cannabis company, applauds the Nevada Cannabis Compliance Board on the passing of Nevada cannabis lounge legislation. The company intends to apply for a lounge license and expects to be a successful applicant.

The initial plan is to convert Planet 13’s Trece restaurant space to a consumption lounge, restaurant and entertainment experience. The Planet 13 Entertainment Complex will be the first of its kind space where a consumer can watch products being made, purchase and consume all under one roof. A true luxury, tourist friendly lounge close to the Las Vegas strip.

“Our location close to the Las Vegas strip is ideal for a cannabis consumption lounge and we look forward to converting Trece restaurant to a full-service lounge to host our visitors in a first of its kind, exciting environment characteristic of the Planet 13 experience,” said Bob Groesbeck, co-CEO of Planet 13. “By converting our existing restaurant, we can quickly build a world class lounge in a cost-efficient manner and begin to serve customers sooner.”

Trece is currently an approximately 4,500-square-foot restaurant permitted for occupancy of up to 388 people. The planned conversion would allow on-site consumption under the Nevada regulations approved on June 28, 2022.

For more information on Planet 13, visit the investor website.

The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission has released draft rules for the state’s forthcoming medical cannabis industry.

Regulators will hold a public hearing July 14 to gather feedback on the proposed regulations, and the commission is also accepting public comment through its website, according to a local WSFA report.

Once the rules and regulations are finalized, the commission can begin accepting and processing applications for medical cannabis business licenses.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed Alabama’s medical cannabis program into law in May 2021, and sales are expected to launch in spring 2023.

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf signed legislation into law this week to protect cannabis business’ access to financial services.

Wolf signed House Bill 331 July 11, allowing cannabis operators in the state to work with banks and lenders.

RELATED: Pennsylvania Senate Approves Cannabis Banking Legislation

The legislation adds a section on “legitimate cannabis-related business” under Pennsylvania’s commerce and trade statutes, which ultimately protects the companies’ access to financial services, according to the Pittsburgh City Paper.

The bill defines legitimate cannabis businesses as growers, manufacturers, suppliers, transporters and dispensaries, the news outlet reported. It also includes companies that operate in other states, as long as they comply with Pennsylvania law.

California’s fish and wildlife often pay the price for illicit cannabis cultivation practices, including unlawful water diversions for irrigation, conversion of lands, poaching, and use of prohibited chemicals and environmental contaminants.

As law enforcement officials and legislators continue efforts to combat illicit grows, particularly in Southern California’s Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside, Kern and Ventura counties, the state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is taking steps to help licensed cultivators with sustainable practices.

CDFW officials awarded nearly $1.8 million in funding July 8 from their Qualified Cultivator Grant Program, including roughly $1.4 million to the Mendocino County Resource Conservation District (MCRCD) for water conservation projects in the South Fork Eel River Watershed of Northern California.

In addition, the first round of funding includes roughly $400,000 to Sun+Earth, a nonprofit that certifies cannabis that’s grown under the sun, in native soil and without chemicals by fairly paid farmers and farmworkers. That grant, in part, will go toward supporting the organization in sustainability projects focused on land restoration and conservation.

“These are well-conceived and timely planning projects that will result in lasting benefits to fish and wildlife resources and the habitats they depend upon for survival,” CDFW’s acting cannabis program director Sarah Paulson said in a press release. “Supporting these entities will help preserve California’s natural resources and pave the way for future cannabis farmers in the regulated market.”

The nearly $1.4 million awarded to MCRCD will focus on three cannabis cultivation sites and will be used to design and install three rainwater collection systems, perform irrigation infrastructure upgrades, develop and implement an invasive species management plan, and install native, pollinator-friendly plants. In addition, the grant will help prepare site-specific California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) documentation required for cannabis cultivators.

SOUTHAMPTON, New York, July 12, 2022 – TILT Holdings Inc., a global provider of cannabis business solutions that include inhalation technologies, cultivation, manufacturing, processing, brand development, and the Shinnecock Indian Nation, a federally recognized Native American tribe living on their traditional lands on the eastern end of Long Island, N.Y., began construction today on Little Beach Harvest, a 5,000 square-foot cannabis dispensary located on Shinnecock tribal territory in Southampton, N.Y. 

A groundbreaking ceremony was held today at 56 Montauk Highway, the site of the future dispensary. Attendees included the Shinnecock Nation's Council of Trustees and Chairman Bryan Polite, the Shinnecock Cannabis Regulatory Division and tribal members, including Chenae Bullock, managing director of Little Beach Harvest. TILT's Chief Operating Officer, Dana Arvidson, TILT's Chief Financial Officer, Brad Hoch, and state and local officials were also in attendance.   

This wholly tribal-owned cannabis operation results from a unique partnership between TILT and the Shinnecock Nation and is the culmination of six years of lobbying, outreach, development, and planning. Through a joint venture with the Shinnecock Nation's cannabis economic development firm Conor Green, TILT is financing, building, and providing management services to support Little Beach Harvest becoming a reality with two major components of the vertical operation kicking off this year: the dispensary and cultivation facility. The dispensary is expected to be completed by early Q1 2023. Construction on the cannabis cultivation facility will begin by year-end, and there are plans for a future 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. 

"I am thrilled to start construction on such an important project for the Shinnecock Nation," Polite said. "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."

"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," Arvidson said. "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." 

For thousands of years, the people of the Shinnecock Nation have been leaders in environmental stewardship. In connection with the Shinnecock Nation's longstanding relationship and respect for plant medicine, Little Beach Harvest's mission is to provide access to an alternative, natural way of healing that suits its customers' needs. Drawing on the Shinnecock Nation's vast knowledge of plant medicines and natural healing modalities, the dispensary is expected to offer a broad array of cannabis products.