Photo: EyeEm
MIDDLETOWN – By a unanimous seven-to-nothing vote, with two members absent, the Middletown Common Council Tuesday night voted to opt-out of the sales of cannabis products and public consumption in the city.
Alderman Paul Johnson expressed his concern about the state legalization of recreational marijuana without any regulations in place for sale.
“We have black and brown members of our society who were treated seemingly unfairly by the implementation of the law, so the solution to that is to take that person and facilitate that person’s ability to be an entrepreneur in a cannabis store. To me, I find that to be condescending,” he said.
Johnson also expressed concern that there are no sale regulations in place yet and legalization could cause problems for police enforcement.
Alderman Jerry Kleiner suggested the issue of opting out in the city should be up to a public referendum.
NEWS STORY PROVIDED BY: Mid Hudson News -www.midhudsonnews.com