As Rotterdam considers Marijuana law, school district raises concerns
ROTTERDAM - With Rotterdam lawmakers expected to adopt a law in the coming weeks regulating how cannabis-related businesses will be allowed to operate, the town’s larger school district is raising concerns.
Members from the Mohonasen Central School District’s Board of Education are planning to attend a public hearing Wednesday to weigh in on a proposed ordinance that would regulate where marijuana dispensaries and on-site consumption facilities can open in town. The ordinance also establishes hours of operation and other zoning regulations for the businesses.
The ordinance comes as New York state inches closer to its first legal marijuana sales after state lawmakers last year approved the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act, which legalized cannabis use for adults 21 and over and established the framework for the state’s marijuana industry.
But cannabis sales present a number of concerns for school leaders, including the location of dispensaries in proximity to school buildings and the potential of marijuana becoming more easily accessible for students, according to Wade Abbott, Mohonasen school board president.
“This is an issue that has an impact on schools,” he said. “It is certainly very much abused by too many students, especially in high school and even in middle school.”
Just under 3,000 Rotterdam students are enrolled in the district.
The district last year called on the Town Board to opt out of allowing cannabis-related businesses to operate in town until the state handed down regulations, but lawmakers at the time ultimately decided to allow the businesses, citing the potential for new tax revenue.
Under the state law, municipalities that opted out would not be allowed to collect any of the millions in projected sales tax revenue cannabis sales are expected to generate in the coming years, but have the ability to opt in at a later date. Hundreds of local governments chose to opt out, including those in Glenville, Niskayuna and Clifton Park.
But municipalities that opted in are prohibited from backing out at a later date, according to the law.
Mohonasen Superintendent Shannon Shine criticized the previous Town Board’s actions, but called it “water under the bridge” on Tuesday. He is now concerned about where dispensaries will be located in town and is urging lawmakers to take their time in crafting the legislation to ensure all concerns are met.
“My personal and professional opinion is that the town made a significant error in their judgment,” he said. “But I’m not the authority in the town, they are.”
The proposed town ordinance would allow dispensaries to operate within the town’s business and industrial zoning districts, and confine on-site consumption facilities to just industrial districts. Hours of operation for both businesses would be limited to between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and between noon and 6 p.m. on Sundays.
The businesses would not be allowed to open within 500 feet of a school and 250 feet of a place of worship — parameters established as part of the state law.
In October, the town’s Planning Commission issued a positive recommendation on the proposed ordinance, citing a need to have regulations on the books before plans to open a dispensary are brought forward.
In a statement, Schalmont Central School District Superintendent Thomas Reardon said that the district is aware of the harm drugs and addiction causes families, noting that the school system has worked to increase social work and counseling services in recent years.
“We appreciate the town of Rotterdam doing their due diligence to study all the issues involved in regulating New York state’s adult-use cannabis program and certainly support efforts to protect schools such as state regulations about where businesses can operate,” he said.
Shine said he would like to see the businesses as far away from schools as possible, but said he’s still concerned that a cannabis dispensary will lead to an uptick in student use.
He said the district has seen a “sharp increase” in students using THC vapes since marijuana has been legalized. A vape is a cartridge that allows the user to consume nicotine and THC products without producing the odors associated with cigarette and marijuana use.
Shine didn’t have any data showing that there has been an uptick, but said the situation has gotten so bad that the district has installed vape detectors in bathrooms and has been forced to call for plumbing services on a number of occasions in recent months due to students flushing vape cartridges.
“I definitely predict a strong correlation between legalization and dispensaries in our area to an increased use of cannabis-related products by our youth,” he said.
Abbott, meanwhile, said he has heard from his own high school-aged children about increased marijuana use, adding that cannabis has absolutely no benefits for students.
“It’s sad,” he said. “There’s not a positive effect on kids.”
