New York state’s Cannabis Control Board approved its first set of marijuana retail dispensary licenses on Monday, but when will New Yorkers start to see retail locations actually open?

Chris Alexander, executive director of the state’s Office of Cannabis Management, said the office has been working all year to get the market up and running, but there is still much work to do.

“We’ve been pushing hard all year to get the supply chain operational, you know licensing our small farmers and then getting our processes up and running. And so we are still pushing for sales before the end of the year,” he told Pat Kiernan on “Mornings On 1” Tuesday.

He said that the licenses handed out yesterday are unique in that they allow for cannabis retailers to start operating on a delivery-only basis.

“They will be able to deliver to consumers in advance of getting this storefront that is still being worked on,” he said.

Alexander said that retail locations are not yet decided on, but they will continue to educate the public on the importance of purchasing from licensed retailers.

“The product that’s being consumed now – particularly at some of these, small shops, the smoke shops, bodegas, etc. – there's no visibility on where that product is coming from,” he said. “But we are seeing, from our side, quality, sun grown, New York grown cannabis that's coming through the supply chain and folks should be really excited about that.”