In 2005 while Jason Ambrosino was serving as a scout with the 110th Cavalry, 4th Infantry Division of the United States Army in Iraq, he was critically injured by an IED. He survived, going on to serve in procurement and logistics and earn his MBA. Eventually, he retired in 2014 for medical reasons as a Service-Disabled Veteran.
Ambrosino found himself on seven medications for the severe neck and back damage he suffered during combat. Looking for alternatives to pharmaceuticals, he found cannabis, cannabinoids, and cannabinoid oil.
When Congress passed the 2018 Farm Bill making hemp-derived CBD legal, Ambrosino founded Veterans Hemp Market with the intent of providing CBD products and education
However, with the changing landscape around cannabis production and legalization in New York State, Ambrosino saw the opportunity to make an even greater impact on the veterans who needed help by using the business as a means to create the revenue required to be able to do that. “This was a way to make the difference, to make the money to make the difference,” Ambrosino said.
He cites the example of a soldier who lost his legs on his first day serving in Afghanistan for whom government assistance fell short. “You need a personal assistant,” Ambrosino said.
“You need a special house that’s handicapped accessible. We have to be the ones that do something. To do the things that I want to do, it takes a lot of money. I’m working 18 hours a day to get that money built up so that we can make a difference. It takes money to affect change. No money, no change.”
Veterans make up 13 percent of the total number of people experiencing homelessness in the United States. This issue is particularly annoying for Ambrosino, and he is passionate about making an impact. “I would like to provide housing for veterans. That’s ultimately what I would like to see happen, but it takes a lot of money. “
The money is coming from marijuana sales. New York State legalized marijuana for adult recreational use when it passed the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act in 2021. “We were doing maybe $150,000 to $200,000 per year with the Veterans Hemp Market,” he said.
The company made its first sale of recreational use marijuana in April 2023, and Veterans Hemp’s revenue shot up to $2.6 million between April and December 2023. “Over that year, things just exploded,” Ambrosino said. From January to August 2024, the company generated about a 300 percent increase in sales.
AND EVEN MORE GROWTH
Ambrosino said that the cannabis industry is an incredibly difficult one to navigate, but that doesn’t deter him. “I am blessed with the ability to figure things out,” he said.
He unraveled the tax code, regulations, licensure, and legislation as well as the skill set needed for distillation. In mid-July 2024, Veterans Hemp received its permanent Tier 1 manufacturing license, its statewide distribution license, and a license to grow cannabis indoors in a space up to 5,000 square feet.
This last license sent Ambrosino on a search for a 15,000- to 20,000- square foot facility to create a 5,000-square foot flowering canopy requiring a roughly 1600-amp service.
Ambrosino also partnered with Full Spectrum Ag. LLC (FSA), a company that will grow, process, and sell directly to the public in a dispensary and lounge. “We’re currently in the process of helping them build out both their dispensary and their grow in Mayfield,” Ambrosino said. He expects this new facility to add another 15 to 20 jobs in the area in addition to the 40 already employed and FSA Partner Network to create another 10 to 15.
Now, Veterans Hemp is one of the top 10 cannabis producers in New York State, offering a variety of cannabis and CBD products, including tinctures, topicals, concentrates, flower, tea, vape cartridges, beauty products, and even a line of pet care items.
“Our house brands include Veterans Choice Creations, Space Bud, Pot & Head, and New York Honey, one of the best-selling vape cart brands in New York State,” he said. These products are for sale online and at Veterans Hemp Market’s retail location in Broadalbin.
Veteran’s Hemp also manufactures cannabis products for Edie Parker, Silly Nice, Continental Exotics, Black Mar, Wik Drops and Klaus beverages. Ambrosino is currently in negotiations with companies in Jamaica and Germany to bring their brands to the New York State cannabis market.
In yet another expansion, Veterans Hemp is building out its new canning operation and butane lab for the extraction process.
A SECOND MISSION
Ambrosino sees the cannabis industry as an economic driver for Fulton County, adding a second goal for his business. In addition to bringing in profits that will allow him to create and fund programs to help veterans, he intends to create jobs so that people—and their talent, intelligence and skills sets—remain in the county.
“If there’s no industry here, nobody comes back,” Ambrosino said. “Cannabis is a brand-new industry with unlimited potential of what it can bring in manufacturing and retail sales.
There’s a huge potential here to really kind of change things.” Jobs, along with new housing like the Glove City Lofts, makes Gloversville an attractive place to live and work.
In spring 2024, Veterans Hemp Market had 23 employees, which grew to 40 by August after Veterans Hemp incubated the Adonis Company which was subsequently able to obtain its own license and operate on its own. Ambrosino expects to add up to 10 jobs by the end of 2024.
“I think that it’s important that this company was never about me putting money in my pocket,” Ambrosino said. For him, the business is a means to an end: making a difference for veterans and providing employment in Gloversville to help revitalize the city.
Ready to Grow Your Business?
For more information, application guidelines, and to learn how the FCCRG can support your business journey, please contact us at +1.518.725.7700
All Rights Reserved. Website by