Tuxedo. Voters to decide in November if town opts out of marijuana consumption

The Tuxedo Town Board voted on July 26 to permit retail marijuana dispensaries in the town but opted out of the provisions of a new state law that would have authorized consumption sites in the community.

After holding a public hearing, the board considered three local laws: a measure to bar all marijuana shops, one to prohibit on site-consumption and a third a third to bar dispensaries.

The board voted 3-1, with one absence, to opt out of the consumption site provision. However, it decided the final decision should be up to the voters so the opt-out law will be on the Nov. 2 ballot.

The new state law authorizing the recreational use of marijuana gives local governments until Dec. 31 to determine whether they want dispensaries or consumption sites within their boundaries, subject to permissive referendum. Localities cannot opt out of use the personal use of limited amounts of marijuana by their citizens or growing it a home.

The Village of Woodbury voted, 3-2, last month to reject a law that would have opted out of licensing marijuana dispensaries and on-site consumption. Mayor Timothy Egan, who opposed the opt-out said in an interview that “it doesn’t make sense” to restrict commerce by acting against what the state has declared a “a permissible use.”

- Jeff Story