The city of Schenectady is moving to opt out of recreational marijuana sales.
The government operations committee of the Schenectady City Council agreed to opt out of sales Monday, joining Niskayuna and Glenville in spurning the new legal pot industry. Opting out of hosting recreational marijuana sales means the city would not receive its share of 4% sales tax revenue earmarked for local counties and municipalities. Democratic City Councilor Marion Porterfield says no one ever wants to lose revenue.
"It’s not like we're losing revenue, because we have not gotten the revenue," said Porterfield. "And we also have to wait, everything that comes with perhaps in that revenue, and are there going to be additional costs that we will have to incur as a result of any number of things, more enforcement, making sure that, that only the dispensaries that are open are the dispensaries that are currently selling. So there's a lot to look at. So we would need to weigh all sides of it, the revenue side versus the zoning of where it can be, and everything that goes with it. So I think that looking at the big picture is, you just don't want to look at one aspect of the picture."
Passed earlier this year, the state’s Marijuana Taxation and Regulation Act gives local municipalities until December 31st to pass a local law opting out of allowing dispensaries and cannabis lounges from opening within their jurisdictions. Municipalities that take no action are automatically opted in. Porterfield says the ones that opt out have the option to opt back in at a later date, and the council will again take up the matter in 90 days.
“Opting out means that the municipality has the opportunity to take a look at it, looking at the things they've mentioned in probably others, and hearing what the public has to say," Porterfield said. "We've had some public input, but just based on the amount that we had, since we decided that was going on the agenda, I'm sure there's a lot more people that have, want to have input. So gives us the opportunity to look at all of those things because then we also have the opportunity to opt back in, but you cannot do the opposite. If you if you let the clock run down and then you don't get an opt in. There is no opportunity to opt out.”
Democratic Schenectady Mayor Gary McCarthy was asked by WAMC about the committee’s move the next day. “Kind of late in the game and I would have preferred the council not go down that path, but we’ll just see how it plays out,” said McCarthy.
Porterfield said "I firmly believe we are making the right decision here. And, you know, again, it will give us time to make sure that that we've looked at every aspect of whether to allow cannabis lounges and dispensaries."
