Woodbury cannabis dispensary debate returns

You would be forgiven for mistaking parts of the December 14 Woodbury Village Board Meeting for looking like something out of the 1936 film, “Reefer Madness.” Despite the fact that the governments of both the town and village of Woodbury have opted to allow dispensaries and consumption sites within their borders, a vocal minority spoke before the board concerning their opposition to the opening of local cannabis dispensaries in Woodbury. If municipalities wished to opt out of allowing dispensaries within their borders, they had to do so by Dec. 31, 2021. Those in attendance did not express any objections to the consumption or sale of alcohol, which is also legal in the village and has been found to be far worse for the brain, according to scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder in a recent journal article.

One Highland Mills resident raised concerns about people consuming cannabis on-site at the forthcoming dispensary and then “driving through our neighborhoods.” He added, “I don’t want them on the roads. I don’t want them in town.” How this would be any different from someone visiting Central Valley Liquors, purchasing alcohol, and then driving home remains unclear, as driving under the influence of both alcohol and cannabis remains illegal under New York State Law.

Another member of the public stated opposition to the dispensary with a series of potentially misleading claims, first stating that New York City is now home to over 8,000 illegal marijuana dispensaries. That number comes from a press statement released by New York City Council member Lynn Schulman with no citation or further information on how that figure was reached. He went on to say that New York State would do nothing to assist the village in policing the dispensaries, which is also false. The NYS Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) encourages municipalities and local law enforcement to report any activities that may be in violation of the state cannabis law, including illicit cannabis sales. Suspected violations or complaints can even be reported online at cannabis.ny.gov/report-an-incident. Attorney General Letitia James also announces closures and penalties against existing and illegal dispensaries that violate the law on the AG’s website. For example, on Dec. 18, she announced the closure of a store in Brooklyn for selling without a license.

That same person also noted that under New York’s marijuana law, “convicts have the first right to open up these consumption and shops that sell.” While people who have served their time for cannabis convictions are prioritized, they are not the only group given such a priority. It also applies to the parents, spouses, children, legal guardians, and dependents of people previously convicted of a cannabis-related offense. The commenter also failed to mention that this rule was put in place, per the law, to compensate for decades of black and brown people being harassed and arrested by the police at a higher rate than white people, despite similar usage rates.

Finally, one resident asked about who would police the consumption of cannabis in places like the Walmart parking lot, since there is often a bus parked there that is known to sell cannabis. Throughout the fall, The Photo News has reported extensively on the ownership of these parking lots. They belong to the town of Woodbury. The resident stated that the towns should settle who polices Walmart’s lot (again, it’s the town of Woodbury), before discussing the zoning of legalized pot. It should be noted that, unless otherwise posted, under New York State law cannabis consumption is permitted by those 21 and older in most places where tobacco consumption is already permitted, except for areas such as public and state-run parks, and inside cars, for example.

The public comment period has been extended to the next meeting of the Woodbury Village Board on December 28 at 7:30 p.m.