First Legal Cannabis Dispensary in Brookhaven Town, Long Island Receives Cease-and-Desist Letter Prior to Grand Opening

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New York’s cannabis industry is hitting another bump in the road with a recent cease-and-desist letter received to a Brookhaven Town legal cannabis dispensary located on Long Island (1).

The property managers of the building sent the cease-and-desist letter to Strong Strains on June 9, 2025, which is when the location hosted their soft opening. Attorney Brian Egan (1) sent Strong Strains the notice because it said that the company violated the “Northgate Plaza at Stony Brook Condominium’s property rules.”

News 12 (1) reported that the letter mentioned that the location does not allow “activities which violate federal laws.” It comes as a bit of a surprise due to the Brookhaven Town and New York being accepting towards legal cannabis businesses. Currently, cannabis is still deemed illegal at the federal level.

Egan expressed that the building location is meant only for “offices, research facilities, laboratories, or light industrial purposes or any other use and occupancy first approved in writing,” (1).

“The use of the unit as a cannabis dispensary does not comply with these approved uses and you did not receive written approval from the Association for this nonconforming use,” the letter mentioned, according to News 12 (1).

The grand opening is still anticipated for this upcoming Saturday, June 21, 2025. Strong Strains is located at 19 Technology Dr, East Setauket, NY 11733 (2). Whether it will remain able to be held remains unclear as the cease-and-desist letter said (1), “If you fail to comply with these demands, the Association and its constituent owners are prepared to pursue all legal remedies.”

The New York Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) has the East Setauket business listed with their license number on their “Legal Online Cannabis Activities Locator” map (1,3).

Residents in the community were in support of the business.

“If it's a legal business, let them make money,” South Setauket resident Charlie Garra said to News 12 (1).

Port Jefferson resident Matt Wise commented (1), “Having it from a licensed place, it's a lot better than getting it off the street.”

In a statement made to News 12, Brookhaven Town Supervisor Dan Panico explained, “This owner has all the necessary approvals from Brookhaven Town. The issues between him and the industrial condominium association are a private conflict in which the town has no role.”

Cease-and-desist letters are beginning to pop up more throughout the country. In May 2025, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey sent 18 cease-and-desist letters to companies across the state (4). The letter mentioned concerns on the classification of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), stating that the sale of intoxicating hemp products with concentrations more than 0.3% delta-9-THCA on a dry weight basis is a violation of the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act (MMPA).

References

1. Gordon, J. Up in smoke? Brookhaven Town’s first legal marijuana shop receives cease and desist ahead of grand opening https://longisland.news12.com/up-in-smoke-brookhaven-towns-first-legal-marijuana-shop-receives-cease-and (accessed Jun 19, 2025).
2. Strong Strains. Strong strains https://strongstrains.com/ (accessed Jun 19, 2025).
3. LOCALFull-featured Legal Online Cannabis Activities Locator https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/af166ae6b42c411295a90699a92036fe/page/Page#data_s=id%3Abccbdaf78b6a4cdda83d79dfb393b510-190505741a4-layer-16%3A472 (accessed Jun 19, 2025).
4. McEvoy, E. Missouri attorney general warns companies over THCA product sales https://www.cannabissciencetech.com/view/missouri-attorney-general-warns-companies-over-thca-product-sales (accessed Jun 19, 2025).