WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – It’s the last day for municipalities in New York to opt out of allowing marijuana dispensaries.
Statewide, cities tended to opt in more often than towns or villages.
In the North Country, experts say there was no clear geographic trend.
Every municipality that reported to one Opt-Out Tracker reported opting-out of dispensaries or consumption sites.
Six municipalities, however, did not report an answer the Rockefeller Institute of Government, which is compiling the date. Any municipality that didn’t take action to opt out of marijuana sales by the December 31st is automatically opted in.
The Watertown Daily Times reports the Town of the Leyden is the only municipality not to opt out of the state’s Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act provision.
In Jefferson County, the villages of Carthage, West Carthage, Evans Mills, Mannsville, Theresa, Antwerp will allow dispensaries, according to the Rockefeller Institute’s opt-out tracker. So will the towns of Orleans and Pamelia.
Seven municipalities did not record an answer with the Rockefeller Institute of Government.
St. Lawrence County was the most receptive to weed sales.
A dozen municipalities will go along with state regulations.
The Town of Canton, Town of Fine, Town of Gouverneur, Town of Massena, Town of Morristown, City of Ogdensburg, Town of Parishville, Village of Rensselear Falls, Village of Potsdam, Town of Stockholm Town of Waddington and the Town of Oswegatchie all opted in.
23 have not recorded a decision and may be opted in.
“For municipalities that opted in, they can still tweak zoning laws and determine if they want to restrict dispensaries and consumption sites to industrial areas or certain parts of town, if they want to do additional zoning from schools, churches, that’s already in the state law but they can always add on to that,” said Heather Trela, the Rockefeller Institute of Government Director of Operations.
An opt out does not have to be permanent, some municipalities are were waiting for regulations to be put out by the state.
Experts say we probably won’t see dispensaries popping up until 2023.
Copyright 2021 WWNY. All rights reserved.
