Brockport greenlights marijuana dispensaries, lounges 

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The Brockport Village Board voted Monday in favor of allowing cannabis dispensaries and on-site consumption sites.

Trustees voted 4-to-1 in support of dispensaries and 3-to-2 in favor of hosting consumption sites, sometimes known as lounges. Per New York state law, municipalities have until the end of the year to opt out of welcoming cannabis businesses, but they may freely opt back in at a later date.

In Monroe County, villages and towns have begun holding referendums and town halls debating whether they want pot shops, with a mixed bag of results. The towns of Sweden and Gates, for example, have voted to opt out of dispensaries, while Irondequoit’s town board has voted to allow the businesses.

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Regardless of the votes, fully legal dispensaries in New York are still a long way off. While the Marihuana Regulation and Taxation Act puts the earliest date for licensed dispensaries to begin operation as April 1, 2022, the state Cannabis Control Board is working on an 18-month timeline to establish the legal framework for a recreational market.

If that timeline is followed, the first dispensaries in New York would start popping up in spring 2023.

Gino Fanelli is a staff writer for CITY. He can be reached at [email protected] and 585-775-9692.