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A little more than one year after New York’s Compassionate Care Act was passed, five companies have been given permission by the Department of Health to grow and dispense medical marijuana in New York. The businesses, including Chester-based Etain, are each allowed, under the Act, to operate one manufacturing facility and four dispensaries, where qualified patients will be able to purchase marijuana.
Two of the five firms–Etain and Empire State Health Solutions—are planning Westchester dispensaries, while others have outlined plans for dispensaries in nearby Orange County (there will be one manufacturing facility there also) as well as in the Bronx, Queens, and Manhattan.
Here is a quick rundown on these five companies and what they have in store for our area:
Bloomfield Industries, Inc.
Based in: Staten Island currently, but moving headquarters to Queens
Will manufacture in: Queens
Will run dispensaries in: Nassau, New York, Onondaga, and Erie counties
Leadership: Founded last year by Staten Island resident Richard Yost, the son of a former NYC police detective; Colette Bellefleur, former vice president of global consulting company HIS, is the company’s chief operating officer.
Mission: “We are relentless in our commitment to be the gold-standard resource for patients, their caregivers, and the healthcare practitioners who rely on us. Our culture is one of people-focused solutions, life-enhancing advancements in cannabis-based therapies, and personalized care delivered with integrity and compassion.”
Columbia Care NY, LLC
Based in: Manhattan
Will manufacture in: Monroe County
Will run dispensaries in: New York, Suffolk, Clinton, and Monroe counties
Leadership: Michael Abbott, executive chairman, who has worked at finance firms including Swiss Bank Corporation/SBC and Goldman Sachs, and has launched and run several companies; and CEO and Vice Chairman Nicholas Mr. Vita, who has more than 20 years of experience as an executive and an entrepreneur in finance and healthcare.
Mission: “Columbia Care is a patient-centered healthcare company setting the standard-of-care for medical marijuana.”
Etain, LLC
Based in: Chester, NY
Will manufacture in: Warren County
Will run dispensaries in: Albany, Ulster, Westchester, and Onondaga counties
Leadership: Katonah resident Amy Peckham, who founded the company after losing her mother to ALS; she runs it with her daughters, Hillary and Keeley.
Mission: “Etain, LLC is a New York based, vertically integrated, women-owned, family business whose mission is to improve a quality of life for eligible patients through legal access to medical cannabis. In addition to providing access, we are committed to research, discovery, and advocacy in the pursuit of safe and healthy solutions for diseases, conditions, and the management of pain and discomfort.”
Empire State Health Solutions
Based in: Perth, NY
Will manufacture in: Fulton County
Will run dispensaries in: Broome, Albany, Westchester, and Queens counties
Leadership: Kyle Kingsley, MD, CEO, who is a board-certified emergency medicine physician and oversaw the implementation of the Vireo Health System in Minnesota with the construction of a greenhouse facility and four dispensaries.
Mission: “Our goal is to make Empire State Health Solutions (ESHS) the safest, most reliable and compassionate choice for the patients of New York… ESHS represents the established solution—quality medical marijuana products via the integration of science and medicine, not the dogma and mythology of the current medical marijuana industry.”
PharmaCann, LLC
Based in: Oak Park, Illinois
Will manufacture in: Orange County
Will run dispensaries in: Erie, Onondaga, Albany, and Bronx counties
Leadership: Teddy C. Scott, CEO; Norah Scott, Christina Leja, and John Leja executive directors; the firm is currently a medical cannabis provider under the Illinois Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act.
Mission: “PharmaCann strives to enhance the lives of patients through quality products and impeccable service, while maintaining a clean, safe, and peaceful environment. We seek to improve our community’s understanding of medical marijuana and its effects through reliance on science-based research.”
