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In a few short weeks, Planet Nugg in Farmingdale will become only the third legal cannabis dispensary on all of Long Island.
And since all of them are located in Suffolk County, dispensary owner/CEO Dave Tubens has one piece of advice for neighboring Nassau County: “Wake up.”
Tubens said while he understands to some extent why so many municipalities in Nassau County are opposed to weed shops, officials need to realize that “cannabis is here to stay.”
No one wants to see more deaths on the highway, Tubens said, but blocking the legal sale of “safe, lab-tested” cannabis is “not the way to go.”
A whole section of the 5,000-square-foot store will be dedicated to educating the consumer, along with staff specifically assigned to answer questions and educate people in case some consumers think it’s “just about getting high,” he said.
If a product has a high THC content, “we will make sure we tell them you don’t drive on this.”
And while there may be “issues that some parents have with cannabis,” staff members will take all the time necessary to allay their concerns, Tubens said.
Officials from the City of Long Beach and the towns of Hempstead and North Hempstead declined comment when asked about the cannabis desert in their municipalities.
But a New York State legislator representing a large swath of Nassau County agreed to speak to NY Cannabis Insider on background because three-plus years after the MRTA was signed into law, the issue — in a largely conservative county — remains a “political hot potato,” they said.
A major reason behind that, the legislator said, was the long standing “drug crisis” that has plagued Long Island – in particular with the use of opioids.
As a result, they said there are a few “powerful and well-organized” activist groups that have made their strong opposition to drug-reform laws known to local officials.
On the other hand, the legislator explained, the pro-dispensary forces have not come to the fore, “protested” or made any “urgent” efforts to get municipal officials to change their positions.
The legislator concluded that opposition in Nassau County may soften in coming years as people begin to focus on the tax revenue that localities are losing.
Tubens, who holds a conditional CAURD license — based on an arrest when he was 16 years old on the way with a friend to the Nassau Coliseum — told NY Cannabis Insider it’s been an “extremely long, tedious and expensive” journey to the finish line, especially since he owns the building.
He attributes his long-awaited opening to missteps by the state Office of Cannabis Management and the court injunction that froze the approval process last year.
At the same time, Tubens has only good things to say about the Town of Babylon, which he says has been supportive of his venture from the get-go.
Hugo Rivas, vice president of the Long Island Cannabis Coalition, said the advocacy group was “turning its attention” to Nassau County.
“Legal cannabis could be a critical source of tax revenue for Nassau, helping to address pressing issues such as the county’s tax deficits, the opioid crisis, school budget shortfalls, and much-needed infrastructure improvements,” Rivas said in a statement.
“Unfortunately, instead of reaping these benefits, Nassau’s current stance means that neighboring areas like Queens and the Town of Babylon are capitalizing on the revenue generated by Nassau’s residents,” Rivas said.