Beleaf NY, Long Island chain of cannabis dispensaries, under new ownership

A Hudson Valley-based retail cannabis chain has purchased Beleaf NY and its three locations in Calverton, Medford and Brooklyn, a Beleaf manager confirmed.

The new owner, Canna Planet, is a luxury and digital oriented brand with nearly a dozen dispensaries in the Hudson Valley and the Catskills. Acquisition of the three Beleaf locations will grant the chain a foothold on Long Island.

The acquisition will be completed in the fall but the stores have started to transition to new ownership, said Beleaf manager Christian Shilling.

Canna Planet did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The change in ownership comes months after Beleaf opened its Medford location after permitting delays, Newsday has reported, costing the owners tens of thousands of dollars in rent and potential revenue.

The state granted a retail cannabis license to the Medford store in October 2024 and the owners hoped to open in early 2025 — a start delayed until March 2026 by requirements from the Town of Brookhaven to upgrade drainage and redo the parking lot.

The Town of Brookhaven has said the delays were because the chain did not apply for a building permit until October.

Beleaf employs 12 at its Medford location and 18 in Calverton, Shilling said.

Shilling started his career working with medical marijuana at Columbia Care Dispensary in Riverhead.

"It’s been really cool to see" the industry on Long Island "grow and evolve over the last 10 years," he said.

By Brianne Ledda

brianne.ledda@newsday.com@brianne_ledda

Brianne Ledda covers personal finance and affordability for Newsday. She previously covered Southold and Greenport for The Suffolk Times and is a graduate of Stony Brook University.