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In just a few weeks, Planet Nugg in Farmingdale will be only the third legal cannabis dispensary on Long Island.

And since they’re all in Suffolk County, dispensary owner and CEO Dave Tubens has some advice for neighboring Nassau County: “Wake up.”

Tubens said that while he can understand to some extent why so many communities in Nassau County are opposed to cannabis stores, those in charge need to realize that “cannabis is here to stay.”

Nobody wants to see more deaths on the highways, Tubens said, but blocking the legal sale of “safe, laboratory-tested” cannabis is “not the right way.”

An entire section of the 5,000-square-foot store will be dedicated to consumer education, and there will be dedicated staff to answer questions and educate people in case some think it’s “just about getting high,” he said.

If a product has a high THC content, “we definitely tell customers not to drive with it.”

And while there may be “problems some parents may have with cannabis,” staff will take all the time necessary to address their concerns, Tubens said.

Officials from the city of Long Beach and the towns of Hempstead and North Hempstead declined to comment on the cannabis desert in their communities.

But a New York State legislator who represents a large part of Nassau County agreed to speak to NY Cannabis Insider about the background, because more than three years after the MRTA was passed, the issue is still a “political hot potato” in a predominantly conservative county, he said.

A major reason for this is the long-standing “drug crisis” plaguing Long Island – particularly the use of opioids, the lawmaker said.

As a result, the statement said, there are some “powerful and well-organized” activist groups that have made their strong opposition to drug reform laws known to local authorities.

On the other hand, the lawmaker explained, pharmacy advocates have not come to the forefront, “protested” or made “urgent” efforts to persuade city officials to change their stance.

Lawmakers concluded that opposition in Nassau County could wane in the coming years as people become increasingly focused on the tax revenue that municipalities are missing out on.

Tubens holds a conditional CAURD license – stemming from an arrest at age 16 while on his way to the Nassau Coliseum with a friend – and told NY Cannabis Insider it was an “extremely long, arduous and expensive” road to the finish line, especially since he owns the building.

He attributes the long-awaited opening to missteps by the state’s Cannabis Management Office and the injunction that froze the permitting process last year.

At the same time, Tubens has only good things to say about the city of Babylon, which supported his project from the beginning.

Hugo Rivas, vice president of the Long Island Cannabis Coalition, said the advocacy group is “turning its attention” to Nassau County.

“Legal cannabis could provide an important source of tax revenue for Nassau and help address pressing issues such as the county’s fiscal deficits, the opioid crisis, school budget deficits and much-needed infrastructure improvements,” Rivas said in a statement.

“Unfortunately, instead of reaping these benefits, Nassau’s current stance results in neighboring areas like Queens and the town of Babylon benefiting from the revenue generated by Nassau residents,” Rivas said.