Babylon To Hold Public Hearing On Cannabis Sales

BABYLON, NY — The Town of Babylon will hold a public hearing on the proposed law for recreational marijuana next week, according to a Newsday report.

The legislation would allow recreational marijuana dispensaries, consumption sites and micro-businesses only in areas zoned "industrial." It would also prohibit them from operating within a 1,000-foot radius of a residential area, Newsday said.

The hearing will take place on Sept. 21, at 7 p.m. at Babylon Town Hall in Lindenhurst.

According to Newsday, businesses also would not be permitted within a 200-foot radius of religious properties or within a 500-foot radius of K-12 education facilities, libraries, parks, playgrounds, childcare centers, youth organizations, dance studios, batting cages, gymnasiums or other venues “where minors congregate.”

In addition, they cannot operate within a 500-foot radius of the lot of line of another such business.

Babylon is one of several towns in Suffolk County that have agreed to permit the sale of cannabis, and will creating dispensary regulations that dictate where the businesses can be located within the town.

Other locations include the towns of Brookhaven, and Riverhead. The Village of Oyster Bay Cove has also opted-in to its sale.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act in 2021, and gave local governments the authority to opt-out of the sale of recreational marijuana within their boundaries. In doing so, they also forfeit the tax revenue that would come from the sale of marijuana.