BY ADAM ATKINSON
North Country This Week

POTSDAM — The village board of trustees hosted the first of two public input sessions Monday on allowing cannabis dispensaries and stores and onsite adult consumption sites in the village limits.

Several members of the public voiced support for allowing the businesses in the village.

Potsdam, like many municipalities, has the option under legislation passed by state lawmakers earlier this year to opt-out of allowing adult-use cannabis retail dispensaries or on-site consumption licenses by passing a local law by Dec. 31, 2021. The legislation passed by the state seeks to develop the adult-use cannabis industry in New York and enhances regulation, licensing for retail sales and taxation for businesses selling marijuana. However there are still many questions for municipalities as to how the allowance of retail marijuana shops in their communities might be regulated.

“We don’t have a lot of answers at this point. We need to get a feeling on the subject. New York State is still very vague about the whole process. If we do nothing, we are automatically in by December 31 for establishing retail establishments and onsite consumption, with the locations to be determined by the village,” said Village Mayor Ron Tischler at the start of the hearing.

According to the state, development of an adult-use cannabis industry in the state has the potential to collect $350 million in state and local taxes annually. Additionally, there is the potential for this new industry to create 30,000 to 60,000 new jobs across the state, they project.

David Bentley who lives on County Route 59 voiced support for the village to allow cannabis stores.

“I think we really shouldn’t look away from this as a revenue source for the area,” Bentley said. “Marijuana is going to be sold regardless of whether we have a dispensary in the town of Potsdam or not. The question we need to ask is ‘Do we want to get in on that or not?’ That’s really the question here. I don’t think it should be a matter of ‘Well is this unethical? Is this bad?’ Do we want the money or don’t we?” Bentley said.

“I just want to echo the same thing,” said Scott Schulte from Leroy Street. “If we look at the tax revenue and the things we could do with the money coming in, it could generate a lot of things. We could get creative, look at youth centers, look at various day care centers, look at various sources of income from marijuana coming in that the village could put to good use.”

“This is a step in the right direction and we need to get on board,” Schulte said.

Other comments made at the hearing were also in favor.

“In the two decades since I first moved to Potsdam, cannabis has always been readily available. Sold in dorm rooms, living rooms, bedrooms, cars, party house basements and bar bathrooms. None of which are appropriate settings for such transactions,” said John Collins of Walnut Street. He said that in Massachusetts, where pot sales are regulated, sellers are required to disclose potency, growing conditions and other information to cannabis buyers.

“You don’t get that when you are buying in a dorm room or a bar basement or a party basement,” he said.

“As the village is nearing its constitutional limits for taxation, quite simply this money we can’t afford to leave on the table,” Collins said. “I urge the board of trustees to please approve cannabis retail sales in the village of Potsdam.”

Members of the village board had some input on the issue as well.

Village Trustee Alexandra Jacobs Wilke said that she would like to hear the thoughts of SUNY Potsdam’s cannabis business professor on dispensaries and the potential revenues as the board collects information on allowing pot businesses in the area.

Village Trustee Maggie McKenna urged that the village should have additional conversations with the town regarding taxation of cannabis sales moving forward.

“I’ve logged 36, between emails, text message and phone calls, all 36 in favor of having the shops. And I would say I’m not a user of any of those things, but I would be in favor without any further discussion,” said Village Trustee Steve Warr.

“There’s a lot of lost revenue out there, a lot of taxes, and I firmly believe we should go after it,” Tischler said.

The village will host another public input session on allowing cannabis sales on Nov. 15 at 5:30 p.m.