At an organic farm a couple of hours east of New York City, the marijuana harvest is in.
Freshly picked buds on Long Island — recently hung out to dry in shaded greenhouses — provided a perfect backdrop for New York cannabis officials to pose for a photo op Tuesday afternoon. The state’s first fall harvest is a major milestone for the legal, recreational marijuana market that’s been assembling over the past several months.
“Everything you see in this room, all this product will be going onto the shelves of our [first] dispensaries,” said Damian Fagon, chief equity officer at the New York Office of Cannabis Management.
But the selection of products that end up on dispensary shelves will likely be limited at first. That’s because New York’s cultivation program has made some sacrifices to the look and quality of the bud being produced in the name of equity and environmental sustainability.
Damian Fagon, chief equity officer for the New York Office of Cannabis Management, speaks to press at a cannabis forum on Long Island.
Photo by Scott Heins for Gothamist
Other regulatory and economic hurdles are still in play, despite New York regulators legalizing marijuana more than a year ago and scheduling the state’s recreational