In Long Island’s East End, recreational cannabis dispensaries have begun to solidify their community presence. The town of Southampton recently saw the opening of the first New York State-licensed dispensary on the East End, Brown Buddha.
State Law Enables Dispensary Licensure
New York State law dictates that municipalities are able to opt in, opt out, or take no action concerning marijuana dispensaries, with most deciding to avoid these businesses. The towns of Southampton, Riverhead, Brookhaven, and Babylon are the only four so far to have opted into licensing marijuana dispensaries.
Many municipalities would have enjoyed the additional tax revenue from these shops, but residents of the towns argued against the presence of dispensaries for reasons ranging from the smell to crime concerns.
Pending Applications
As of writing, there are six applications for licensure pending for the Southampton Town Planning Board, whose zoning laws only allow dispensaries to be in either highway business or shopping center business zones at least 500 feet from schools and at least 200 feet from places of worship. One of these applications comes from Greg Konnor, a 60-year-old builder from the East End. He plans to run the dispensary business out of a renovated Carvel store with his son Dakota and his wife Genelle and expects to open in the summer.
When asked, he said, “I think it will be profitable.”
Besides Konnor’s shop planned for Bridgehampton, another six dispensaries are scattered around, with one planned for Hampton Bays, Southampton Village, and Water Mill, as well as two planned for Tuckahoe.
Heavy Regulations
While Southampton and other municipalities have permitted licensing for marijuana dispensaries, they still hold a good deal of control over these businesses. For instance, a municipality has the power to regulate a dispensary’s hours of operation and appearance, in addition to restricting where they can be located.
Marijuana dispensaries are prohibited from using cartoons, bubble-type font, or even neon colors in their advertising, and sales to anyone under 21 are not permitted. The words weed or pot cannot be used in advertisements either, unless those words exist in the store’s name. Furthermore, all marijuana sold in these stores must be grown in New York.
Industry Enthusiasm Limited by Opposition
Despite these restrictions and regulations, supporters of marijuana have expressed their enthusiasm for the industry.
“[The Long Island Cannabis Coalition] spent about four months in Riverhead,” said Brian Stark, who hopes to open a dispensary in Riverhead, “speaking with the council members, going to the cannabis advisory board meetings, to their community meetings. We got no pushback from anyone in the community. We took a step back when we heard [the state Office of Cannabis Management] say they were going to issue an opinion advisory letter.”
In anticipation of the advisory letter, Stark and other hopefuls have moved forward with caution. It seems that the opposition is still arguing against dispensaries, but as Stark argues: “This is the law; you need to follow the law, you opted in, and this is what you’re supposed to do.”
Success of the Existing Industry
It should be noted that the Shinnecock Nation already operates ten marijuana dispensaries off of Montauk Highway, taking advantage of their station outside of New York’s licensing system. Owners of these shops state that they are profitable for both themselves and the town and that competition will only benefit them.
Opposition Opinions
HUGS (Human Understanding and Growth Services) executive director Kym Laube opposed the municipality’s decision to opt into marijuana dispensaries. “We fought against the dispensaries,” Laube says. “Unfortunately, the industry made everyone feel we would be leaving all this money on the table, which was not true. But our concern is health and drugs and alcohol prevention.”
Ongoing Tensions
Whether the marijuana industry will grow in New York remains to be seen, but early adoption remains limited. Opposition groups still argue against granting licenses to prospective businesses, and determined business owners point to the opt-in decisions from Southampton and other municipalities.
