By Josh Chang
The Irvington Board of Trustees voted unanimously on November 1st to prohibit marijuana stores and lounges within the village. The move was a reaction to New York State’s new cannabis legalization law passed in March. The cannabis law gives municipalities until December 31st, 2021 to outlaw marijuana dispensaries and lounges, if they so choose. Once that date passes, municipalities who haven’t opted out permanently lose that power, and those businesses will be permitted to open and operate indefinitely.
“We expect to opt out of the New York State cannabis law allowing dispensaries and lounges in Irvington” said Mayor Brian Smith during a Board of Trustees meeting on October 13th, “You can always opt back in, but you can never opt out if you don’t before the end of the year.”
Trustees seem open to revisiting the opt-out law at some point in the future, once there is more data on the effects of dispensaries on nearby communities. “Ardsley has already opted out, but Hastings and Dobbs Ferry are leaning towards not doing anything and opting in, so we will have two test cases very close by,” said Mayor Smith.
At a Board meeting on September 20th, public comments largely encouraged trustees to ban dispensaries. Danielle Gamar, a licensed clinical social worker and the Student Assistance Counselor at Irvington High School, spoke in favor of opting out, citing the impacts of dispensaries on the use of marijuana by kids. The state’s legalization law allows only those 21 years or older to buy or consume marijuana, but she is afraid it will find its way to teens, just as with alcohol. “13 to 17 year old youth living close to dispensaries and exposed to marijuana advertisement were more likely to report their intent to use marijuana,” said Ms. Gamar, citing research from the Journal of Addiction, “Young adults living within a 4 mile radius of a dispensary were more likely to use marijuana, were more likely to use heavily, and experienced more problems related to their use.”
Those who supported opting in said that it would be economically beneficial. Of the 13% sales tax on the sale marijuana, the state takes 8% and the county takes 1%. That leaves 4% for municipalities. In Irvington’s case, that portion would be further split between them and the Town of Greenburgh, but if marijuana sales are high enough, it could still bring meaningful revenue to the village. Proponents of opting in also said it would bring in tourism, further boosting the economy.
