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Long Island's First 2 Medical Marijuana Facilities Open For Business

RIVERHEAD, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Long Island's first two medical marijuana dispensaries opened Friday, one in Lake Success and the other in Riverhead.

The Columbia Care New York Medical Marijuana Dispensary in Riverhead offers a very specific kind of treatment, according to CEO Nicholas Vita.

"And what we offer is a sublingual oral tincture, which is effectively a liquid that you place underneath the tongue and then gets absorbed into the system," he said.

The facility is not unlike any other advanced doctor's office, WCBS 880 Long Island Bureau Chief Mike Xirinachs reported.

Currently, there are no smokable forms of the drug available, but the side effects are similar.

"The side effect profile for our product is euphoria and increase in appetite," said Vita, adding that it's all things sick people need to improve the quality of their health.

In the future, the dispensary hopes to offer vaporizer cartridges and marijuana capsules.

Eight other dispensaries opened across the state earlier this month, including one on East 14th Street in Manhattan.

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