Plan for marijuana dispensary in Clifton Park draws skepticism

A start-up company outlined a proposal to open a medical marijuana dispensary in Clifton Park at Monday’s Town Board meeting, drawing a mixture of skepticism, hostility and support from a full house of town officials and residents.

Douglas Butdorf, president of North Country Roots, is applying to the state to be chosen as a licensed vendor for medical marijuana under a stringent process outlined last year, when the state laid the groundwork for use of marijuana for relief of various medical problems.

Butdorf explained that the state is going to select five vendors and each vendor will have four locations for a total of 20 locations around the state. When applicants submit their plans, they are required to identify the four municipalities where they plan to locate a dispensary; Clifton Park is one of those municipalities he and partners Thomas Gosrich and Eduardo Suarez are proposing. The deadline for finalized plans to be submitted to the state is May 29, and North Country Roots’ plan isn’t finalized. Right now, they want to build a grow facility in Plattsburgh and open dispensaries in Plattsburgh, Gouverneur and Clifton Park.

Each of the three partners brings a different background to the venture. Butdorf has over 20 years of experience in start-up and business development as well as in agriculture and farming. Gosrich has logged 20 years in pharmacy management with compliance oversight and Suarez — a New York state peace officer and instructor — has a handle on security and access issues.

“We want to enter into this industry because patients in the North Country specifically, but also in the state of New York, really do need the opportunity to be treated well and have the opportunity for therapeutic home plan care,” Butdorf said. “It isn’t going to be a guy in a tie-dye T-shirt selling you a bag of weed and a bong.”

The building in Clifton Park would be approximately 3,000 square feet. Under state regulation, it cannot be within 1,000 feet of a school or church; a pharmacist must be on staff at all times to dispense the substance; the product can be sold only in capsules, oil liquid solutions or vapor (bongs or rolled cigarettes are not options); and the sign would be plain black and white with no distinguishing features.

It’s a sensitive issue and there was no shortage of questions Monday.

As soon as the presentation ended, members of the Town Board sent questions crashing into the threesome like a tidal wave.

Councilwoman Amy Standaert brought up the fact that the recently passed zoning regulations of the Town Center Plan are focused on increased walkability — children will be around, how would they address that?

“There won’t be any vibrant signage,” Butdorf said. “It won’t be like Colorado with bright lights and images of marijuana plants and they won’t be able to see anything but a counter, like a doctor’s office.”

The three men told the crowd that they wanted to establish good relations and open communication with the town and that other vendors would not be extending the same courtesy.

“Are you saying that we have no role to play?” Town Supervisor Phil Barrett asked, eyebrows raised.

“We are trying to build a relationship with the town, but we don’t have to do that,” Suarez responded.

“So there’s no need to speak to the municipalities?” Barrett queried.

“Correct”

“So as long as you’re not near a school or church you can go into any business zone in a municipality?”

“Yes, anywhere in the state,” Suarez said. “That way dealing with the towns doesn’t slow down the program.”

Barrett couldn’t contain his laughter, then said he wasn’t laughing at the men, but at the situation the state had put the town in.

A public hearing will take place May 18 to discuss and review zoning alternatives for medical marijuana dispensaries, to prepare the town in case it does gain greater control over siting process.

Skeptical public

When Town Board members were done, members of the audience were asked if they had anything that they would like addressed, and almost every hand in the house shot up.

“Why here?” an older man asked.

“Patients purchase their drugs not necessarily next to a hospital, but near their home,” Butdorf replied. “Clifton Park is the perfect point that could serve the North Country and the Capital Region.”

Several others stressed their concern on the potential negative abuse ramifications.

“Medical marijuana will be much more expensive than why people can find on the street, why would they waste their time and potentially get caught?” Suarez replied. “It wouldn’t be financially prudent.”

“How would this benefit Clifton Park?” a man with a gruff voice asked.

The response: jobs and tax revenue, and an opportunity to be on the “cutting edge” of something new.

Not all feedback was negative, though. One man inquired about how he could go about applying for a job as a grower if the time came. The person behind him said: “This is a good thing that you’re doing and if people understood it more they wouldn’t be as against this; there are drugs much worse than marijuana out there.”

“I agree!” Someone else hollered from the back of the room.

Town preparations

The town is moving ahead to review the dispensary plan, even though its oversight is now limited, because it might gain more oversight powers in the future.

“I think it’s important that we proceed with the public process of assigning the zoning designation to these facilitates; obviously this type of facility and the selling of medical marijuana is brand new to New York state, so there’s really no guidance or precedence when it comes to zoning,” Barrett said. “A municipality can’t make the decision that they are going to disallow a business from operating in their municipality — you can’t zone them out — so if a municipally didn’t want adult businesses in their municipality you can create a special zone so that it limits where they can locate in your municipality. It’s prudent to go through a public process to assign a zoning designation to medical marijuana dispensaries and have that type of business-use in our code.”

He continued: “At this point, the law as written by New York state is very restrictive. Now, where that changes over time, that’s a questions that I don’t have an answer for. There are certain zoning designations that we would want to stay away from when considering this. Like many municipalities we have different levels of business zoning, B1, B2, B3, B4, B4A … and I think that the public process we will embark upon will culminate in a zoning designation for medical marijuana dispensaries.”