Town of Hempstead to vote on moratorium for recreational pot sales

Town of Hempstead officials say they will vote on a one-year moratorium on recreational marijuana sales and dispensaries in anticipation of statewide legalization.

News 12 Staff

Feb 1, 2019, 11:10 PM

Updated 2,135 days ago

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Town of Hempstead officials say they will vote on a one-year moratorium on recreational marijuana sales and dispensaries in anticipation of statewide legalization.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced last month that he would push to legalize the adult recreational use of the drug, which could generate more than $1.3 billion for the state annually.
The town's proposed moratorium is solely directed at recreational sales and excludes selling pot for medical purposes.
"The town will take the additional precaution of clearly spelling out in black and white that smoking, consuming or even displaying cannabis or cannabis-related products in our public facilities is illegal," says Town Supervisor Laura Gillen.
A public hearing on the proposed moratorium will be held on Feb. 26.
The move follows other municipalities that have taken action or started discussions on marijuana sales.
Last month, the Town of North Hempstead became the first in Nassau County to ban recreational pot sales if the state legalizes it. Nassau is holding hearings and created a task force to study the potential consequences of legalized pot in the county.
And on Thursday, Suffolk Legislator Robert Trotta and other lawmakers proposed a bill for the county to opt out of recreational marijuana sales.