Ulster County Has High Hopes Legal Marijuana Will Bring Jobs and Rejuvenation

The entire state of New York is banking on the legalization of marijuana to bring increased revenue and perhaps jobs, too. There’s high hopes in Ulster County that both are headed their way as well as rejuvenating some closed facilities.

Ulster County Executive, Patrick K. Ryan announced a new development project with Cresco Labs. In addition to an increase in tax revenue and jobs, between 300 to 400 new employment opportunities, the company will take over a closed manufacturing site.

Cresco Labs is taking over a site that was once home to Channel Master and the Schrade knife company in Ellenville, NY. When completed, the new business will be a cannabis and medical marijuana operation where they cultivate, process, package, and distribute cannabis, in other words they "control the whole process from seed to sales."

The company has similar operations in other states where marijuana has been legalized. They currently operate in 10 states, with 18 production facilities, 44 retail licenses, and 32 retail stores. Sunnyside on Commercial Drive in New Hartford is one of their medical dispensary stores. On their website, Cresco Labs.com they use the slogan "growing to a higher standard."

We are stewards, owners and leaders building the most trusted and fastest growing cannabis company in the world. From careful cultivation to consistent distribution, we provide a portfolio of brands thoughtfully made for every consumer.

No specific opening date has been announced for the facility, some say it will probably be late '22 or early '23.

County Executive, Pat Ryan calls the plan one of the biggest economic opportunities Ellenville has had in decades.

Cresco will turn a site that once represented the beating heart of this economy back into the economic engine that it can and should be — providing good-paying jobs for local residents and putting Ulster County at the leading edge of the rapidly-growing cannabis industry.