WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – Watertown lawmakers set a public hearing on the possibility of not allowing retail marijuana dispensaries in the city.
City council members say there are too many unknowns about how dispensaries would be regulated.
If they opt out before the end of the year, they could still opt back in once there’s more information from the state.
“There’s so many things down the road we don’t know about, but by opting out, at any time, if we feel it’s being run correctly, I think I may feel better about it,” council member Lisa Ruggiero said, “but there are so many unknowns that by doing this now it gives us time to step back and see what happens.”
“They think any old person can go tomorrow, rent a storefront, and open a dispensary if we don’t opt out, which is completely untrue,” Mayor Jeff Smith said. “There’s a minimum of 150,000 in the state of New York, so it’s not anybody who wants to open a dispensary can do that. It’s a huge misconception.”
The public hearing is set for Monday, July 19 at 7:15 p.m. After that, the council can vote on opting out.
One advocate for allowing dispensaries spoke during privilege of the floor and was later thrown out of the meeting by Smith for speaking again after council members voiced their concerns.
Officers recognized
A pair of city police officers were recognized at Monday night’s council meeting, each for recently saving a life.
Officers Wayne McConnell and Tyler Hill administered life-saving CPR in separate incidents in June and in late spring. They were awarded the Watertown Police Department lifesaving medal.
Later in the meeting, the council approved an additional school resource officer for Case Middle and Wiley Intermediate schools.
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