Village outlaws medical marijuana dispensaries

On Sept. 8, Rockville Centre passed a law that prohibits the use of property to dispense goods in violation of federal law.

This new law, which falls under village zoning code, had the side effect of forbidding medical marijuana dispensaries from coming to Rockville Centre. Trustee Michael Sepe explained that while New York State legalized the sale and production of medical marijuana at 24 facilities, the federal government still forbids it.

“And as a local board,” Sepe said, “...We have determined that we will err on the side of federal law, and we would not be one of those 24 locations in New York State to have the ability to have a local marijuana dispensary.”

He said that the law does not forbid a doctor in the village from prescribing medical marijuana.