A petition urging East Hampton Town to allow licensed cannabis retail dispensaries popped up recently on change.org, arguing that a regulated cannabis market would increase community safety and foster opportunities for economic growth.
In March 2021, New York State signed the Marihuana Regulation and Taxation Act into law. It established the guidelines and regulations for taxation of legal cannabis sales in the state, but allowed communities to opt out of allowing dispensaries.
The local petition breaks the issue down into four parts: addressing public safety, regulating cannabis, unlocking tax revenue, and establishing consistency in regulation. Beneath the four headings, Channing Tobin, the petition’s author, briefly explains each facet. As of press time, the petition had only 187 signatures.
“I don’t have to tell you: Cannabis is already here, and I just want it to be regulated,” Ms. Tobin said recently. “I’m a mom. I have three kids, and I just think that if cannabis is here and it’s legal and it’s prevalent in this town and this community, I think it just has to be regulated, just like any other controlled substance, like tobacco or alcohol.”
On the petition, Ms. Tobin states that the Centers for Disease Control attribute around 480,000 deaths each year to tobacco smoking. For alcohol consumption, the petition reads, the number is around 95,000. (Checking these numbers, a report on the C.D.C. website released in September 2024 corroborates the former, while an August 2024 report said that around 178,000 people “die from excessive drinking each year.”)
“Studies indicate that cannabis has a significantly lower association with severe health issues and mortality than both alcohol and tobacco and even has a wide range of medicinal purposes,” Ms. Tobin wrote.
Two years ago, not long after cannabis was legalized, Ms. Tobin spoke at an East Hampton Town Board meeting about having a cannabis retail dispensary in East Hampton, she said. At the time, she said, the Springs cell tower was a hot issue, and her cannabis lobbying “fell flat.”
As with the cell tower, Ms. Tobin acknowledged that zoning could be a hurdle for a dispensary: “Now, I’m certainly not a proponent of having a cannabis store on Main Street or in the villages at all. That’s not what this is about.”
If the town continues to opt out of a dispensary, Ms. Tobin argued, then it is opting for a “black market” because “cannabis that’s being illegally sold in our community is not tested through the state. I’ve heard many stories of people having adverse reactions.”
In addition, Ms. Tobin pointed to the potential for increased tax revenue, which is also discussed in her petition.
“I live here,” she said. “I have kids here. This is my community, and East Hampton really could use the resources. The list goes on, but the tax revenue from those cannabis stores — looking at open stores UpIsland — the tax benefits are great.”
Ms. Tobin is optimistic that the town may eventually opt in to allowing dispensaries.
“There’s new board members, so that’s kind of why I started this petition,” Ms. Tobin said. Previously, “They didn’t have enough votes, but now, with new board members and a new supervisor, I feel strongly that with a strong petition we could see them vote yes. It’ll take time, especially the zoning: Where are they going to allow it? That’ll be a whole other process, but the opt-in would be great for the town.”
Southampton and Riverhead Towns have both opted to allow cannabis dispensaries, and two have since opened in Riverhead: Beleaf in the Calverton Commons and Strain Stars on Old Country Road.
Greg Bergman, the senior planner in Riverhead, explained by email how it worked there. In June 2021, after the marijuana taxation bill became law, Riverhead Town held a public hearing on opting out of dispensaries. Then a committee was formed and three public forums were held in late 2021 and early 2022 giving business owners, town officials, potential retailers, and members of the public a chance to offer input on cannabis regulation. At the conclusion of the three forums, the town drafted a cannabis retail code.
The retail code was adopted in November 2022 after a public hearing. In July of 2023, the Riverhead Town Board voted against opting out. “After feedback on the adopted cannabis legislation, revisions to the cannabis code were made in order to make more properties eligible to operate as a dispensary,” Mr. Bergman said. Those revisions were adopted in March 2024.
East Hampton Town “is aware of the petition,” Patrick Derenze, the town’s public information officer, said. “Once it is submitted to the Board, board members will review the request.”
The petition can be viewed by clicking here.
