Cannabis Businesses Find Solidarity at Annual Expo Held at Little Beach Harvest on Shinnecock Territory

Since being legalized for medicinal use in 2016 and recreational use in 2021, the cannabis industry in New York State has expanded rapidly into a billion-dollar industry.

The expanse of the field was put on full display at the 2024 Hamptons Cannabis Expo, held on the Shinnecock Territory on Thursday afternoon, August 1.

Local residents and those in the cannabis industry flocked to Little Beach Harvest, the state-of-the-art dispensary on Montauk Highway on August 1, for a day of exhibitors, food and drink, and panel discussions at the seventh annual edition of the event.

It featured multiple cannabis-related businesses from across Long Island and New York State, whose proprietors talked to eventgoers about their products, offered a selection of products to sell and were able to connect with other businesspeople in the industry.

Among those businesses was Native Ceuticals, an up-island based business that focuses on cannabidiol, better known as CBD, products. CBD doesn’t produce the “high” feeling that THC-based products do, and is mainly used in medicinal products, including topical lotions and gummies intended to help users get better sleep.

The company is a partner at Little Beach Harvest, where its CBD products are sold. Lauren Harper, a hemp specialist at Native Ceuticals, explained that she attended the dispensary’s grand opening and quickly connected with the organization.

“We know there’s a need in dispensaries for CBD products, because not everybody wants just THC,” said Harper. “So I showed face at the grand opening at this beautiful dispensary, and our products are here now.”

Harper spoke of the importance of events like the expo for bringing businesses together and lifting each other up in a rapidly changing industry. “It brings everybody in the industry together, and the more connections you make, the more you can help each other out,” she said. “That’s what we’re all here for.”

But the vendors set up in the front parking lot of Little Beach Harvest weren’t all specifically cannabis-related businesses. One of the noncannabis vendors there was Jen Stock, who has run the company Jen Stock Jewelry for 23 years.

The Lynbrook-based Stock makes what she calls “mindful jewelry,” her brand of spiritually themed jewelry that can be worn by both men and women. She also sells a series of soft bags, including pouch bags and sash bags.

Stock said that she has sold her products at cannabis-related events for many years now, but this was her first time set up on the East End. She noted that she enjoys the energy at events like the expo and getting to sell what she makes.

“I love what I make, and I’m always appreciative when somebody else likes it, too,” said Stock. “And it’s always fun to come to events like this.”

Also set up at the event was Kaufman McGown LLC, the leading corporate cannabis law firm in the state and one of the leading corporate cannabis law firms in the country. Neil Kaufman said that when he started learning about the cannabis industry after taking on a medical cannabis client 10 years ago, cannabis law quickly became a central part of his practice.

Kaufman said that his firm has represented some of the biggest cannabis cultivators in California and became the leading firm in New York when recreational use was made legal, due to the firm’s years of experience.

Kaufman’s Hauppauge-based firm represents multiple cannabis businesses on the East End, and has helped many in the state to get set up in the industry.

“The industry needs this and we fill that need,” Kaufman said. “We’ll take someone that wants to get into the industry in New York and will do everything from structuring their corporate group, form their entities, help them apply for their license and take in investors.”

The event also featured a series of panel discussions focusing on brand success in New York and the role of psychedelics in the industry. The panels were highlighted by the appearance of Tremaine S. Wright, the chairwoman of the New York State Office of Cannabis Management.

The event was the brainchild of Gary Bierfriend, who has put together the expo for the past seven years. Bierfriend, who works as an attorney in New York and New Jersey, explained that he got involved in the cannabis industry when it became legalized for medicinal use in New York and he became enthralled with its benefits for both medicinal and recreational use.

“Around that time when cannabis became legal, I said, ‘Well, this is transformational for society and economics,’” he said. “I also felt that the plant was a better recreational alternative than alcohol or anything else that people have used, and that it was better for medical and wellness alternatives.”

Bierfriend described running the expo as a “passion project” for him to be able to connect with and help others connect with people in the cannabis industry, something that he’s taken pride in.

“It’s interesting because I’ve become a beacon of communication and a kind of central source of information where people are reaching out to me, looking for help, seeing how they can help and asking for introductions,” he said.

He also added how happy he was to have Wright as the keynote speaker of this year’s panelists, as it symbolized how far the expo has come, and also highlighted what the Shinnecock Nation has accomplished.

“It showed not only her trust and confidence in the expo, but it was also tacitly her endorsement of the Shinnecock Nation’s entry into their own licensing schematic, where Little Beach Harvest is the first wholly-owned dispensary by an Indigenous nation in New York.”