Preempting a possible attempt by the Cayuga Nation to open a marijuana dispensary, the village of Union Springs has drafted a local law prohibiting sales of the drug there.
The law would make Union Springs the first municipality in Cayuga County to opt out of parts of the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo March 31.
The law, an amendment to the village s 2013 zoning law, would prohibit marijuana dispensaries and consumption sites, as well as the sale of tobacco and tobacco products, including vaporizers and e-cigarettes. Wholesale growing and processing of marijuana and marijuana products would also be prohibited everywhere but the village s agricultural residential and commercial zoning areas, where it would be allowable by special permit. The law says its purpose is to prevent the negative secondary effects of cannabis and nicotine use, cultivation, processing and sale.
Municipalities in the Cayuga County area are weighing the pros and cons of opting out of parts of New York state s law legalizing marijuana.
The Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act, signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo March 31, legalizes possession of up to 3 ounces of the drug, and public and private use of it, by New Yorkers 21 and older.
Municipalities cannot opt out of that part of the law, which has already taken effect. However, the law allows them to opt out of letting cannabis retail dispensaries open, or on-site consumption licenses be issued, within their limits. Municipalities that decide to opt out must pass a local law by Dec. 31. Retail marijuana sales in New York state are slated to begin on April 1, 2022.
New York State Team
ALBANY – Pressure for Gov. Andrew Cuomo to resign was building Thursday after a letter signed by 59 Democratic state lawmakers called for him to step down and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said the chamber would conduct its own investigation into the embattled governor s future.
Cuomo was under a new round of criticism after a sixth accuser Wednesday said the Democratic governor sexually harassed her.
The latest case was considered perhaps the most damning: The unnamed aide told her superiors that Cuomo groped her and tried to put his hand under her blouse at the governor s mansion, according to the Times Union of Albany. That would counter Cuomo s contention that he never touched anyone inappropriately.
Cuomo allegations: New York Assembly to investigate embattled governor azcentral.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from azcentral.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
ALBANY - Gov. Andrew Cuomo faced a new allegation Wednesday of inappropriately touching a female aide after a report said he summoned her to the governor s mansion and aggressively groped her.
The unnamed aide said Cuomo asked her to the Executive Mansion near the state Capitol late last year and then allegedly reached under her blouse and began to fondle her, according to the report in the Times Union of Albany.
The aide makes it the sixth woman to come forward to claim sexual harassment or inappropriate conduct by the Democratic governor, but the paper noted the latest one could rise to the level of a criminal investigation.