By Dan King
The number of Washington County municipalities pledging support for a medical marijuana growing facility in the county continues to grow.
Last week, the town of Whitehall joined the towns of Hartford, Dresden and Jackson in supporting the proposed growing facility at a former mushroom-growing location in the town of Jackson. The Washington County Board of Supervisors has also pledged its support for the facility, which would be operated by Compassionate Relief Center of New York, Inc.
While Dresden and Hartford were both adamant in their support for the facility – voting unanimously to approve it – the Whitehall Town Board was a little more divided, voting 4-1 in favor of the proposal, with councilman Farrell Prefountaine opposed.
Prefountaine invoked the slippery slope from medical usage to full legalization as cause for his opposition.
“Look at Colorado and all the weed-packers traveling across state lines,” Prefountaine said. “I’m not going to support it, I don’t care who likes it. N-A-Y nay.”
Even those who supported the measure were a little less than enthusiastic about it.
“I’m not a fan of marijuana in any form,” said supervisor George Armstrong. “But it’s going to happen. I think this is just a precursor of what’s going to happen. I think we’ll end up like Colorado, this is the next step to recreational.”
Councilman John Rozell said he was supportive of the measure because “people are going to get their hands on it anyway.”
Armstrong said the reason he supported the idea of a growing facility in the county is strictly economic.
“There is only going to be five (registered growing facilities) in the state and it’s quite a few jobs,” Armstrong said. “If it’s going to happen do you want the jobs in Washington County or Warren County or Essex County?”
In addition to the jobs, having a medical marijuana growing facility in the county would also bring in new revenue. Washington County ranks 57th out of 57 counties in collection of sales tax per capita. Medical marijuana will have a hefty excise tax on it, of which 22.5 percent will go to the county where it is grown and another 22.5 percent to the county where it is sold.
Hartford Supervisor Dana Haff, who is supportive of both medical marijuana and industrial hemp, stressed the excise tax and the county’s ranking in terms of tax revenue as crucial reasons to support the growing facility, back when his town voted to support the facility.
If Washington County is able to persuade the state to allow a growing facility, it would be one of only five in the state. Under its Compassionate Care Act, the state will allow five licensed growing facilities and each growing facility will be allowed four dispensaries.
Each must deal with quite a bit of red tape and very strict guidelines. The licenses for a registered growing facility must be renewed every two years by the state, and the licenses require stringent security measures, adequate land for growing, adequate money for operating and a labor agreement.
The state reserves the power to immediately repeal a license if a company does not comply with the rules and regulations.
New York is the 23rd state to legalize marijuana for medicinal use, while four of those have also legalized it for recreational use. New York’s law is set to go into effect on Jan. 1.