VILLAGE OF EAST SYRACUSE, TOWN OF DEWITT – The sale of cannabis at dispensaries and consumption sites will be allowed within the village of East Syracuse, its board of trustees decided on Sept. 21.

Mayor Robert Tackman said that even if the village had opted out, it would foreseeably still face certain issues stemming from retail marijuana.

He predicted that people would drive through its streets on the way to and back from neighboring communities expected to contain such establishments, while adverse reactions to regulated products and drivers under the influence would still be dealt with by the village’s medical services and the DeWitt Police Department.

Tackman said, however, that the excise tax revenues earned by opting in would in all likelihood go toward newer devices for resuscitation, extra equipment for response to motor vehicle accidents, enhanced police training and programs for social-emotional support, thus helping to rectify some of these issues considered inevitable.

A public hearing immediately preceding the board’s decision allowed residents to comment on the matter either in person or virtually.

To start, the mayor read aloud a smattering of mail the Village of East Syracuse received regarding cannabis sales.

One sender viewed the resulting revenue and employment opportunities in a “growing field” as benefits that outweigh the cons. She further said that she believes the taboo nature of marijuana reflects an “out-of-date mindset” and that dispensaries and consumption sites are comparable to liquor stores and bars despite the greater social acceptance of the latter two.

A resident present on the second floor of the village hall said during the evening hearing that the regulated, cannabis-distributing sites would keep people from going to an unfamiliar person’s attic to buy marijuana either laced with fentanyl or composed of an unspecified dosage of THC.

Positioned in opposition to the dispensaries and consumption locations, a village business owner said that “social wreckage” and a break from federal law should be weighed as well.

“You oughta put your big boy pants and dresses on and do the right thing and just walk away,” he said. “It’s not good for our nation, it’s not good for our state and it’s not good for our local government.”

Tackman said dispensaries and on-site consumption lounges would be permissible along the general commercial district around Bridge Street or in any open spot zoned Main Street retail.

Presently, the village board does not anticipate there to be a cap on how many dispensaries or consumption sites can show up in the village, but this does not mean Main Street would be lined with businesses of the sort.

The village board will be able to dictate the exact placement and hours of operation of dispensaries, but it can not directly run them as a municipal entity.

There will also be limitations set in place that would maintain a certain distance between dispensaries and local churches, daycare facilities or schools, but Tackman said he expects a black market for marijuana to remain in the same vein as the continued existence of untaxed cigarettes and home-brewed beer.

The East Syracuse board’s choice to opt in means there will not be a referendum at a future election or a chance to petition the motion.

DeWitt also discusses cannabis

The DeWitt Town Board’s Sept. 27 informational hearing regarding marijuana sales began with a presentation by town attorney Matt Natoli, who laid out the laws and procedural guidelines pertaining to the establishment of dispensaries and consumption lounges.

If the town takes no action on this matter by Dec. 31, it will effectively opt in, thus allowing marijuana sales in the coming years, but if it drafts and adopts a local law subject to a permissive referendum, the residents will be able to decide one way or the other past the deadline.

Natoli said that by opting in, the town would receive 3% of collections from the 13% state tax on retail sales, while Onondaga County would receive 1% and the state would keep the rest.

If the town decides to opt in ahead of the year’s end, it can not opt out after that point.

During the public comment section, one DeWitt resident brought up a number of concerns while using sources such as the town code book, documents from the U.S. Department of Justice and the New York Office of Cannabis Management, and other research reports.

She said that something to consider is that these marijuana dispensaries and consumption sites would have to refrain from electronic banking and electronic customer transactions so long as the selling of marijuana remains illegal on the federal level.

The woman also said that accidents caused by under-the-influence drivers immediately after leaving the lounges may lead back to “negligent service” by budtenders who had witnessed the buildup of obvious impairments to driving abilities.

Beyond that, she remarked that products like edible gummies would need to be placed in secure locations away from children if brought home in order to prevent ingestion and subsequent calls to poison control.

Based on what she had gathered, the resident further said that the businesses would be required by the Clean Indoor Air Act to use self-contained ventilation systems and that they would need to carefully dispose of refuse so as to prevent dumpster diving.

DeWitt Chief of Police Chase Bilodeau later spoke at the podium after being called up by the board to speak his mind on the subject.

He said that an upsurge in the presence of cannabis lounges and dispensaries would become a “quality-of-life” issue if townspeople prefer not to reside in a community that contains such businesses.

Bilodeau also said that if the town opts in, it is likely that increased calls for the police department’s service would mainly concern DUIs and traffic accidents.

There will be another public hearing on marijuana around 6:30 p.m. at the Oct. 25 meeting inside the DeWitt Town Hall court room.

The comment period on marijuana sales remains open, so residents can still feel free to send comments in email form to [email protected], or they can deliver letters to the town hall at 5400 Butternut Drive in East Syracuse.