LANCASTER, N.Y. — A Western New York vape shop owner is starting a petition to try to let voters decide whether cannabis sales should be allowed in the Town of Lancaster.
At Monday night's Lancaster Town Board meeting, the board voted unanimously to opt-out of allowing cannabis dispensaries and on-site consumption.
Before they voted, a board member said if they opt-out, they can always opt back in, and he mentioned that anyone could start a petition to put a referendum on the ballot to let voters decide. He said ultimately the residents should have the say.
So Cloud Chasers Vapor Lounge owner and New York Cannabis Growers and Processors Association member Thomas Snider, who supports the sale of cannabis, started a petition.
"All I hope for is that it can be put to a vote and the residents can decide. If the residents decide they don't want it, then it's been decided by the residents. If they do decide that they want it, then again, it's been decided by the residents that live here," Snider said.
Snider was one of the many people who spoke at Lancaster's public hearing in October in support of cannabis sales.
"It's really just about letting the people make the decision on something as large as this. In all of the responses that I've heard for people wanting to opt in, you know, there's tax revenue that we're going to be missing. Also, I think it's important to state that black market sales of illicit THC have been going on for decades, decades, decades," Snider said.
In order to get a referendum on the ballot, it's based on how many people voted in the last governor's race. Snider says he has to get about 1,900 signatures of people who live in the Town of Lancaster and are registered voters, but he wants to get more to be safe.
"I think the majority of people that want to be in this space for legalized cannabis, they are approaching it with integrity and empathy for the end user, you know, this is, opting out only allows you to opt-out of retail and on-site consumption. It doesn't give any town the right to stop somebody from using cannabis," Snider said.
Cities, towns, and villages have until the end of the year to decide whether they want to opt-out of cannabis sales when dispensaries are allowed to open in the state.