Southold opts out of retail marijuana sales
As for now, retail marijuana dispensaries and on-site consumption spots will not be allowed in Southold Town once the drug becomes legal in New York State.
The Southold Town Board voted 5-1 Tuesday evening to opt out of allowing dispensaries or places to indulge publicly in marijuana use, but Town Supervisor Scott Russell said the issue is not dead and the town could still elect to participate in the program before New York State completes its regulatory process.
The state’s law legalizing recreational use of pot goes into effect April 1, but lawmakers believe it could take considerably longer — perhaps another two years — before dispensaries begin to pop up.
Southold Town is the last municipality on the East End to vote on the law, which needed to be done before year’s end. Shelter Island’s Town Board voted unanimously in May to opt out. Riverhead, Southampton, Brookhaven and Babylon were the only Long Island towns not to opt out.
The Village of Greenport also opted out, meaning that, at least for the time being, Riverhead and Southampton will be the only places to allow it on the East End. Riverhead is still working on its own set of regulations regarding where specifically it will be allowed.
