Cannabis dispensary to open after village chooses not to block it
The Highline Dispensary received its state license in September, and village officials say they have no legal authority to prevent it from opening.
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A new cannabis dispensary in Hastings-On-Hudson will not be blocked by the village.
The Highline Dispensary received its state license in September, and village officials say they have no legal authority to prevent it from opening.
The dispensary has received a lot of backlash from residents, many arguing that the shop is too close to businesses that serve children.
“It’s rather shocking today to hear that they’re not doing anything,” said resident Lauren Berman.
On Friday, the village board of trustees made an announcement regarding the dispensary.
“The collective leaderships decided it’s okay to put a dispensary in a triangle between a children’s community center, a church and a children’s dance studio,” explained Berman.
The dispensary is located at 45 Main St. in the village.
“You kind of can’t walk into town without passing it,” said another resident, Nancy Dodson.
Dodson is an adolescent medicine doctor. She says through her work she’s seen shocking levels of cannabis use, abuse and addiction.
“It’s unfortunate that cannabis in general is just going to be advertised to our teens anytime they walk into town,” Dodson stated.
The owners of the dispensary say they are following all state regulations.
“We’re going to take our place in this community seriously in that no children can see in our windows, no one under 21 can come inside our doors,” said co-owner Josh Elyachar.
Elyachar also believes that with the opening of Highline, it will create a safer community.
“Having us there, even though its counterintuitive is going to take money away from illegal operations, it’s going to take cannabis away from where the youth are getting it,” he said.
News 12 reached out to every board of trustee member asking for further comment. Soon to be Village Mayor Tom Drake replied saying that he can’t say anything outside the public statement.
To read the full statement from the village, click here.
