NewsWhen New York State passed the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA) in 2021, entrepreneurs in the cannabis industry seized on the long-awaited opportunity to open retail cannabis shops on Long Island.
But even after the approval of hundreds of adult-use cannabis licenses across the state so far, only two dispensaries have opened on Long Island, and new dispensaries continue to face regulatory hurdles that can seem insurmountable, as the law comes with draconian restrictions on where and how cannabis can be sold.
Jason A. Little shared his insight with Long Island Business News:
“A good number of Long Island municipalities have in fact opted-out, prohibiting the legal sale of cannabis from a licensed retail dispensary within those municipalities,” says Jason A. Little, cannabis practice group leader at Farrell Fritz in Hauppauge.
In fact, out of 13 Long Island towns, only four have opted-in for cannabis retail.
The fact that so few towns have decided to allow dispensaries has slowed their overall growth on Long Island, suggests Little. “Absent successful and timely appeals, Long Islanders within those opt-out municipalities cannot open a retail dispensary,” he says.
However, towns that have opted in often impose their own sets of restrictions, creating a more prohibitive environment for dispensaries.
“Even the municipalities who have opted-in have created yet unchallenged zoning and use ordinances meant to further restrict where retail cannabis dispensaries can operate,” says Little.
Read the full article on LIBN.com here:
