BY JEFF CHUDZINSKI
North Country This Week

MASSENA -- Cannabis will be available in the village in the near future, but on-site consumption will not be allowed.

In a unanimous vote, the village board of trustees voted to enact a law outlawing cannabis consumption businesses, though dispensaries will be allowed in the future.

A brief public comment session was held, during which time only two residents spoke.

Ms. Doris Robinson, a village resident, voiced her opposition to cannabis in the village.

She asked Ahlfeld for clarification if the laws were set in stone.

“Yes, as far as we know they are. The state has even appointed members to the oversight board,” he said.

“I’m just not in favor of it,” Robinson said.

Another resident also voiced his opposition to cannabis as a whole, stating he felt it was a gateway drug and would lead to much worse things for the youth of the village.

“Kids try it and it doesn’t give them enough kick, or whatever, so they try something worse. It leads to medical problems down the road,” he said.

Trustee Francis Carvel also offered his input, voicing opposition to on-site consumption businesses but offered a different perspective on dispensaries.

“I worked at the community for seven years, saw a lot of kids and we had things to help them. It isn’t going to stop it from being around,” he said.

Carvel also noted that during a recent trip across the reservation he noticed upwards of seven dispensaries already in operation.

The Massena town board will hold their own hearing and public comment for residents on Oct. 20 at 5:30 p.m. prior to a vote to ban cannabis consumption businesses.