And Schumer could have been the first customerNew York marks first legal cannabis sale as prohibition officially ends in the Empire State. With the opening of its first store, New York state meets its deadline to launch retail cannabis sales by the end of 2022. The first legal sale of cannabis in New York state took place Thursday at a brand-new retail pot dispensary run by the nonprofit Housing Works Cannabis Co., as the Empire States multibillion-dollar cannabis industry takes its first steps.