local reporters joined state new york cannabis control board members as they visited small cannabis growers across the state who are preparing for the first harvest of adultuse marijuana ive never used marijuana or cannabis said bill bianchi a 92yearold former suffolk county assemblyman and long islands newest pot farmer the state of new york now is licensing me to grow it so im excited to do a new crop ive been doing orchids all my life bianchi said i told my staff that we had a choice last year either tomatoes or cannabis and they all voted to do the cannabis trivette knowles of the state office of cannabis management told cbs new york that the farmers are excited about their new crops she likened the farm tour to a field trip for the state government damian fagon the office of cannabis managements chief equity officer was impressed by the family farms that are growing vegetables and cannabis on long island multigenerational new york family farms are growing the first legal cannabis crop from cannabis farms to first recreational dispensaries “new york’s farms have been the backbone of our state’s economy since before the american revolution and now new york’s farms will be at the center of the most equitable cannabis industry in the nation” said gov kathy hochul who also announced the cannabis control board approved first 52 cultivation licenses in the state products grown on these farms will stock adult store shelves around the state despite plans to open the first recreational dispensaries later this year most involved predict that cannabis sales will not likely start until the first half of 2023 image by benzinga