X

Canton Village Board wants public input on marijuana

Posted 6/21/21

BY PAUL MITCHELL North Country This Week CANTON - The village’s decision to allow or not allow marijuana sales and use in the village will rest heavily on public input, said Mayor Michael Dalton. …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Canton Village Board wants public input on marijuana

Posted

BY PAUL MITCHELL
North Country This Week

CANTON - The village’s decision to allow or not allow marijuana sales and use in the village will rest heavily on public input, said Mayor Michael Dalton.

The village has until Dec. 31 to “opt in” or “opt out” of allowing dispensaries within the community.

“We don’t want to make this decision in a vacuum. I’ve already received emails and letters. We need to continue to get input from our community,” said Dalton.

The mayor plans to hold a public forum or conduct a public survey in the next few months.

The cannabis issue features several twists. If the village does nothing they will be allowing the sale and consumption of cannabis. If 20 percent of the village’s registered voters sign and submit a petition, a permissive referendum could be held.

If allowed, zoning ordinances could dictate where dispensaries will be allowed but the village will have no control over licensing.

If the village decides to opt out, they will not receive sales tax revenue. If they opt in, the village is expected to receive 4 of the 9 percent of the sales tax generated from marijuana sales.

As each municipality makes their decision on cannabis sales, it could create an interesting geographic scenario with marijuana sales legal in one town and illegal in the next town just miles away.

Cannabis dispensaries are not scheduled to open until the end of 2022 or early 2023.