Rockville Centre Latest LI Village To Opt Out Of Cannabis Sales

ROCKVILLE CENTRE, NY —Rockville Centre has become the latest Long Island municipality to vote to opt out of legal cannabis sales. The village trustees voted unanimously in September to opt out, which means retail sales and the operation of dispensaries is banned within the Village's borders.

The decision also means the village will forfeit the 4 percent of the sales tax revenue available to towns or villages that participate in the New York State legalization of cannabis sales that became law in March. Municipalities can vote to opt out until December 31, 2021.

The public hearing on the issue saw more residents opposing cannabis sales in the village than supporting it, according to the LI Herald. Only one speaker opined in favor, noting that other towns and villages will benefit from the tax revenue and Rockville Centre would miss out.

If a petition garners enough signatures, the village must run a public referendum vote on the issue, David Falkowski told Patch.

He is the Chair of the Long Island Regional Committee for the New York Cannabis Growers & Processors Association (NYCGPA) and owner of Open Minded Organics, LCC, a hemp farm in Bridgehampton.

He says public polling has generally tended toward supporting legal cannabis sales and that any governments who opt out will just see their residents drive to other areas, and miss out on the revenue share.

"People will drive to buy or have the products delivered to them if a town opts out."

Some of the residents who spoke in favor of opting out in Rockville Centre believed that legalizing and profiting off marijuana use would be harmful to young people.

Other incorporated villages on Long Island have also already voted to opt out of the legalization law, including Nissequogue, as well as townships like Islip.

Local governments who opt in reserve the right to opt in at a later date, but any municipality that doesn't opt out by the end of the year cannot vote to opt out after January 1, 2022.

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