Hey, Wanna Buy Some Weed? Not Legally in Lake George you Won’t

When marijuana was legalized for adult use in New York in the spring of 2020 there were a lot of unknowns.

One thing that was unknown was if your local town was going to allow marijuana dispensaries to set up shop within their borders and if they would allow places to consume cannabis products within their town.

Think of it like alcohol. There are places you can buy alcohol and there are places you can consume alcohol. So, liquor stores in comparison to bars. Some cities are opting out on both and some are just opting out of the consumption sites.

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The latest town to opt-out of marijuana consumption sites is the Village of Lake George, following in the footsteps of the Town of Lake George.  They voted to not allow them within their town borders. The main reason cited by concerned citizens was that dispensaries and consumption cafes didn't promote the family-friendly atmosphere that Lake George wants to be,

Local government officials have until Dec. 31 to decide if they want consumption sites or recreational marijuana retail stores within their town limits. Here's the interesting part about that decision. If the local governments don't opt-out, they are stuck and they can't ever opt-out again. However, if they do opt-out, down the road when they realize what they are missing out on they can opt back in for recreational dispensaries and recreational consumption sites.

So, places like the Village of Lake George, Mechanicville, Colonie, and now Valley Falls are playing it safe with the option to opt-in at a later date. If they do opt-out they also miss out on the tax revenue that the cannabis industry brings in.

No matter which way New York towns decide to vote recreational cannabis products is legal to possess and consume for New Yorkers over the age of 21. Pretty much anywhere you can smoke a cigarette, you can smoke pot in New York.