ROP

Town passes law prohibiting sale of recreational marijuana

The Island Now

Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Judi Bosworth and the Town Board unanimously approved a local law that will prohibit the retail sale of recreational marijuana in the Town of North Hempstead, should recreational marijuana become legalized in the future.

“While we certainly understand and support the need for medical marijuana dispensaries and their place in alleviating pain and discomfort in patients, we feel that this law prohibiting the sale of recreational marijuana addresses the concerns brought to us by many residents,” said Bosworth.

The law amends Chapter 70 of the Town’s zoning code and states that “no building, structure or premises within any use district in the Town of North Hempstead may be used for the sale, distribution or offer for consumption of marijuana or marijuana products in a retail setting or environment for non-medical use.”

In 2018 the Town Board unanimously approved two other laws regulating medical marijuana facilities in the Town. One local law restricts where a medical marijuana dispensary can be located, prohibiting them from being within 1,000 feet of a school, parks, child care center or house of worship; restricting them from being within 500 feet of a Town residential district; and limiting the number of dispensaries in the Town to two; and the other law prohibits a medical marijuana dispensary from ever being used as a marijuana retail store, should recreational marijuana become legalized.

To view the new laws in their entirety, please see: https://ecode360.com/9299439.

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