Residents divided on whether or not to allow cannabis sales and/or consumption sites in Northport Village

“Potheads.” “Junkies.” “Idiots.”

Those are just some of the words used to describe cannabis users at this past Wednesday’s public hearing regarding the possibility of allowing cannabis sales and/or consumption sites in Northport Village. While some residents spoke passionately about keeping the sale of marijuana off of Main Street, and out of Northport Village’s business corridor, others spoke in favor of an industry that would allow the sale of a regulated, safer product to community members.

Some residents simply wanted to remove the stigma surrounding cannabis use, stating that everyday people and productive, contributing members of the community have been consuming cannabis for a long time and will continue to do so, no matter what the Village’s decision on cannabis sales is.

The state requires at least one public hearing to occur before the Northport Village Board of Trustees renders a decision to either opt in, or out, of allowing adult-use cannabis sales and onsite cannabis consumption establishments within its jurisdiction. This past Wednesday’s hearing was considered unofficial because it wasn’t advertised properly; there will be an official hearing on November 16. The board had already announced late last month its “legislative intent” to opt out of allowing retail dispensaries and consumption sites in the Village. That intent was further confirmed Wednesday evening, when the board’s three trustees and Mayor Damon McMullen either reiterated their opt-out stance, or stated it was not the right time to opt in.

An official decision must be made by the state deadline of December 31.

It seemed as if proponents of opting in would have an uphill battle early on in the evening, when speaker after speaker voiced why they thought cannabis sales shouldn’t be allowed in the Village.

Northport resident Steve Chassman is a licensed clinical social worker, and credentialed alcohol and substance abuse counselor. He explained how being in the middle of a pandemic could lead people to feelings of grief, fear, social isolation and anxiety, all factors that serve as breeding grounds for self-medication. “The overdose rates of 2020 were astronomical,” he said, with alcohol and opioid-related fatalities hitting an all time high. “What does that have to do with marijuana?” Steve asked. “History is prologue and we have to learn from our mistakes...when you pit monetary gain against public health, public health has been losing, and in a major way,” he continued.

Steve explained that marijuana has played a role in the increase of substance abuse and addiction, and it should not be made more readily available during such a difficult time in our community, during the height of a global pandemic.

The sentiment of now just not being the right time to allow for cannabis sales was shared by many in the room, including Trustee Dave Weber, who said that opting out this year and perhaps allowing cannabis sales in the future may be the most reasonable decision at this time. “I think the reason why New York created this law was to give our residents of the state a better option for a regulated product,” he said, adding that he would want to wait for clarity on regulations and further training for Northport Village police officers in drug recognition, something also brought up at the meeting.

Trustee Weber said plans for a Northport Village police officer to receive drug recognition training were in the works, and that the Village had access to DREs – drug recognition experts specially trained to recognize when someone is under the influence of certain drugs.

Assemblyman Keith Brown said that he too would like to see more comprehensive research on the issue before considering the Village opt-in. He said the marijuana used today is “not the marijuana from the 1970s” and discussed dabbing, which is popular among younger people and provides a very potent form of THC.

Sharon Richmond explained to the board that her son Vincent said that marijuana was his gateway drug. He later died of fentanyl poisoning; the opioid was unknowingly laced into a product he bought. “It’s been known that marijuana use can lead to substance abuse disorder and right now our state agencies are lacking the expertise or the experience to be able to take this into consideration…” she said. Sharon is also fearful that people will be driving under the influence of marijuana when there’s no clear way to detect its use by police officers, and asked that the board wait until there is more information and enough research to show the safety of marijuana use and sales.

Chrissy Ruggeri, a natural health writer and hemp shop owner who works with people across Long Island on proper hemp and cannabis use, explained that the majority of adults using cannabis do not go on to use harder substances, and opioid use disorder has proven to be multifactorial, with issues like trauma history and untreated psychiatric conditions playing important roles in drug abuse. She believes that whether or not the village opts in, the board should still focus on promoting programs like those run by the Drug and Alcohol Task Force so that children and adults have the tools they need to make wise decisions regarding alcohol, cannabis and other substances.

Chrissy told the board that by opting out ”you are impeding local and legal access to cannabis for Northport residents. You are forcing them to drive further into another municipality, and you’re forgoing the tax revenue from these inevitable sales.”

She spoke about the presence of bars and stores selling alcohol within the village, even though alcohol has proven to be more dangerous to both minors and adults. “We outwardly support the alcohol industry in Northport,” she said. “We even have community events that include alcohol, but we are steadfast to restrict the sale of regulated and lawful cannabis?”

Chrissy explained that inside a licensed dispensary, you will find regulated and lab-tested cannabis that’s grown in licensed growing facilities. Cannabis products cannot contain heavy metals, toxic ingredients or synthetic cannabinoids, she said. “If you’re concerned about safety, then this is the safer way to go,” she said.

Northport resident Joe Stewart, who spoke after Chrissy, responded to her assertion that educated, productive neighbors are already smoking cannabis in their houses on Bayview Avenue, in Crab Meadow, Asharoken, and Eaton’s Neck, and if the Village opts out, they’ll be driving to other areas on Long Island for their cannabis, or have it delivered from another location.

“If the idiot in Eaton’s Neck or wherever has to go buy their marijuana over in Huntington Station, I’ll tell you what, sell your house and go move there,” he said. “Get out, pothead. That’s the answer…. What a waste to live here 25 years to find out that I’m going to have junkies down on Main Street. It’s disgusting.”

Village resident Lauren Pluchino didn’t plan on speaking, but came to the podium in direct response to Joe’s claim that many cannabis users are dirtbags, and absentee parents. “I want to introduce myself as one of those junkie, pothead, dirtbag people who doesn’t know how to raise their kids,” she said. Lauren, who described herself as a hard worker and productive member of the community who focuses on her health, job and children, said that marijuana is medicine for a lot of people – especially now during the challenging times of a pandemic. “On a personal level, the amount of narcotics and controlled substances that do not exist in my life because of cannabis… it’s a healthier route.”

Northport High School graduate Owen Martinelli also attended the meeting to listen in on the conversation, but then decided to speak. He has worked in the cannabis industry since 2017 and owns a dispensary in Massachusetts, and said he sees “both sides of the argument” – the best thing the town can do is “go to the right sources of information,” he said. Residents are allowed to grow up to six cannabis plants at home and that “cannabis is here, it’s already in our town,” he said. He noted that starting a legal, regulated cannabis business is a tremendous investment, and that selling to minors can lead to losing a license. He also said that the cannabis people are currently obtaining on Long Island is “not healthy” because of the presence of microbes and additives. In a legal market, he added, you can trace all of that, “from when the plant’s grown to when it’s sold.”

“I think we can all agree that this is a polarized discussion,” said Trustee Ian Milligan at the end of the public hearing. “Even though this room may be slanted to one direction, just knowing the conversations I’ve had with people, this is a polarizing topic.” Trustee Milligan explained that it’s difficult to detect marijuana use from a law enforcement standpoint and although we have a Northport police officer who may be trained in drug recognition, said the Village isn’t ready to opt in yet. He agrees that getting regulated cannabis is potentially safer than what you find on the black market, adding that “it makes sense to take a back seat, opt out at this point, and wait for technology and training.”

Both Trustee Tom Kehoe and Mayor Damon McMullen shared their intentions to opt out at this time.

So, what’s next?

The next (and official) public hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, November 16, at 6pm. It looks, as of now, that the Village will opt out of cannabis sales and/or consumption sites within its jurisdiction. Should the board opt out now, it may opt back in to allow adult-use retail and/or onsite consumption licenses in the future, by repealing the existing law that established prohibition.

If the Village does not opt out by December 31, it will be unable to opt out at a future date. If the Village opts out by the deadline, the local law is subject to what’s called a “permissive referendum,” allowing voters to petition the outcome and place a new local law allowing cannabis sales and onsite consumption on the ballot at the next general election, which for Northport Village is March 15, 2022.