Stony Point votes to opt out of marijuana retail stores until regulations in place

The vote happened Tuesday night after a public hearing on the issue.

News 12 Staff

Jul 14, 2021, 7:48 PM

Updated 1,242 days ago

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The town of Stony Point is opting out of marijuana retail stores for now.
The vote happened Tuesday night after a public hearing on the issue.
The board made the unanimous decision to opt out for the time being - until the state's cannabis control board is formed and regulations are in place.
"We don't know - if you can open a cannabis shop or lounge, can you do it next to a playground? Can you do it next to a church? Can you do it next to a school? Those regulations have not been established. We're not aware of them," said Stony Point Town Supervisor Jim Monaghan.
Municipalities can opt back in anytime and are allowed to charge a 4% excise tax on retail sales - a quarter of which goes to the county.
Some critics worry that waiting will mean missing out on the potential revenue.
"We're the smallest town in Rockland, there would be a small tax revenue, but I don't think it's a major game changer that's gonna affect our budget," says Monaghan.
Yorktown, Eastchester and North Salem have all opted out as well.