Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal (D) has filed a bill in the New York Senate that would significantly expand the list of locations where marijuana retailers and on-site consumption lounges are prohibited from operating.
Senate Bill 7275 was introduced today and referred to the Senate Committee on Investigations and Government Operations. If passed into law, it would make it illegal to open a marijuana retail store or on-site consumption site within 500 feet of a child day care center, public park or playground.
The bill would add these new location-based restrictions to current law, which already bars such facilities from being within 500 feet of school grounds or within 200 feet of a house of worship. SB 7275 would also broaden the definition of a house of worship to include religious use within mixed-use buildings, closing what the bill calls a “loophole” in the current statute.
In addition, the measure clarifies that location restrictions apply to schools, daycares and places of worship even if they are located inside a mixed-use building, a scenario that has caused confusion in past licensing decisions.
Senator Hoylman-Sigal says the goal is to better align marijuana licensing rules with the standards already in place for alcohol retailers, while protecting children and families from being exposed to marijuana retail operations in sensitive areas. Opponents of the measure say it would add another unnecessary burden for legal cannabis businesses.
