Today's MOZEN: REEFER MADNESS

I remember the first time I smelled marijuana. It was 1970 and I was a sophomore at Fort Lee High School. I was on a bus heading to my first big concert at the old Fox Theater in Hackensack, NJ to see Leslie West and his band Mountain. There was a group of slightly older kids in the back of the bus. Hippies, I thought to myself. I’m sure they were heading to the same show. They were laughing and having a great time when suddenly a cloud of smoke wafted my way. When it enveloped me, I took note of the smell: acrid but still sweet. It intrigued me. I kinda’ liked it. And then it hit me – so THIS is what everyone was talking about. It’s marijuana, a.k.a. pot, reefer, smoke, weed, cannabis.

Although I didn’t indulge, and never really did very much in high school, I was intrigued by the whole scene. It was a counterculture way of life that interested me then and still does.  However, since it was 1970 pot was illegal EVERYWHERE. But so was its presence. It just thrived in an underground environment that despite the warnings about smoking the demon weed, was easy to access. I remember one such example:

There was a bodega at 175^th Street and Fort Washington Ave in Upper Manhattan that we called The Stop and Cop. It had a small window at the back of the store that resembled one you used to buy a ticket at the movies – you know, a round whole for speaking through and a slot at the bottom to exchange money for tickets – or in this case, pot. You asked for a nickel or dime bag at which time you slid $5 or $10 through the slot and received a package with the appropriate amount. Since I lived in Fort Lee, my friends and I could either walk across the GWB, take one bus, or if we got lucky, someone had a car and drove us there. See. Easy – stop and cop.

Well, we’ve come a long way baby!

It’s a little-known fact that so-called medicinal marijuana has been legalized in NYS since 2014. But it was the legislation to legalize recreational cannabis in October of 2021 that proved to be the Sea Shift in the way it is sold and consumed. And since 2014, According to Whitney Economics, U.S. adult-use and medical cannabis sales grew $2.6 billion (9.14%) year-over-year, totaling $31.4 billion in 2024. Whitney Economics predicts cannabis to see extreme sales growth over the next few years: 2025: $35.2 billion in sales, growing 12.1% from 2024.

In addition to that massive revenue, the law promised a safer industry through regulation and strict control. It was also an opportunity for local communities to raise significant funds for their municipality’s sales tax. They were given the choice to “opt in” to the program or not. However, once they did allow Cannabis Dispensaries, they could not prevent them from doing business in their towns and villages. But they could pass local resolutions to control where they conducted their business. This opened a potential can of worms. More later.

And that business has exploded! With that have come the many challenges associated with that type of exponential growth, i.e. people bending or breaking the rules. Plus, much of the stigma associated with the use of cannabis remains. Parents with children see dispensaries in the hearts of their towns as having the potential to become dens of iniquity, luring young people to their doors where they will be preyed upon by unsavory drug dealers. Despite little if any data to support that claim, the fear is real for many people.

This very scenario is currently being played out in the Village of Nyack, NY. With a population of about 7000 people, it prides itself on both its artistic heritage and its progressive politics. So, when given the opportunity to “opt-in” to cannabis dispensaries, the village council voted unanimously to do so. Their reasoning was that ANY well run, legitimate business that would bring commerce to the downtown area is welcome. They further added a restriction on having no more than one such business every 2000 feet. Current Mayor Joe Rand who was also at the village helm when the original vote was taken in 2023  still supports the dispensaries. He even envisions a time when based on the layout of the village, that distance restriction may even be eased to accommodate even more, again echoing that “ANY good business is good for Nyack”

Of course, this position was met with significant opposition from both local and regional residents, mostly parents of young and teenaged children, as well as some local businesses. Their concerns are mainly routed in the assumption that any such dispensary would bring unsavory characters into the heart of the village. Then, their greatest fears were realized when a Medical Marijuana Dispensary (with the option to convert to recreational) asked for and was granted permission to open in the old, long vacant Starbucks Coffee near the corner of Broadway and Main Street. They cited the fact that Nyack already HAS a legitimate licensed dispensary, Treehouse Cannabis, that was appropriated located on the edge of town. Plus, there were several other smoke shops within the heart of town that may or may not be selling cannabis illegally.

They created a petition condemning the location of the new shop and garnered nearly 900 signatures. The petition was then presented during a special open session of a town council meeting. The public was also allowed to share their thoughts on the subject. The actual presenters of the petition were given 5 minutes to state their case. Others were allowed to follow up with a 1-minute statement/reply. Despite the time limits, the debate became so passionate that the mayor had to call the meeting to order on more than one occasion. The major complaint was not against the USE of cannabis itself. It was the LOCATION, as the shop would be between a pizzeria and an ice cream shop, obviously places frequented by a lot of kids.

Despite the vocal and visceral reaction of the opposition, Mayor Rand held steadfast to his original position. He also pointed out several points of law, the most important of which were:

1. The shop will be HEAVILY regulated by the State, which includes security measures that will ensure that sales will not go to minors.

2. Smoking marijuana will NOT be tolerated in front of the store.

3. Also, the Village has NO authority to prevent this legitimate, State sanctioned business from operating within the boundaries of Nyack.

The mayor also addressed the petition directly, citing that despite the 800+ signatures, only about 400 of them came directly from Nyack. Therefore, out of a village of about 7000, it did NOT the sentiments of the majority of Nyackers.

In a recent BEING FRANK podcast I hosted Seth and Ricky Marks, co-owners of the afore mentioned Treehouse Cannabis, the family-run, only legally licensed cannabis dispensary in Rockland County. At that time, they expressed that they had NO opposition to another legally operated dispensary within proximity to their own store. In fact, in keeping with their tradition of community cooperation, they echoed the sentiments of Mayor Rand, i.e. good business is good for Nyack – and what is good for Nyack is good for Treehouse. They also dismissed the image of drug-addled, drooling pedophiles lurking in front of their store. They WORK at running a clean, legitimate shop. It’s in EVERYONE’S best interest to run a clean business. It’s up to the Town of Orangetown to shut down any other shop that is conducting illegal marijuana sales.

My thoughts are these: I feel that the location, despite the intense opposition to the contrary, in many ways, is perfect. The fact that IS so visible, right in the heart of town, means that the shop will be in constant view. Again, it will be in THEIR best interest to be good neighbors, to observe the rules, and be sensitive to the needs of the community. Assuming the opposite falls prey to the old image of REFFER MADNESS. Those days are over. The STOP AND COP is finally regulated to a funny anecdote. This way is MUCH better.