BROOKLYN, NY –
NYS Assemblyman Michael Tannousis (R,C-Staten Island/Brooklyn) held a press conference on June 24 alongside NYS Assemblyman Alec Brook-Krasny and U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis to call on Gov. Hochul and the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) to reject the proposed opening of a cannabis dispensary at8412 3rd Ave. in Brooklyn.
The dispensary would be a 6,000-square-foot storefront that would encompass three addresses: 8412 (the main address), 8414 and 8416 3rd Ave.
Within the four-block radius surrounding this location are five schools: Dimitrios & Georgia Kaloidis Parochial School, the Adelphi Academy of Brooklyn, Stepping Stones Nursery School, Public School 185 and Bay Ridge Catholic Academy.
There are also two houses of worship and a children’s bookstore nearby with heavy foot traffic from students, which would result in the increased exposure of minors to cannabis, despite regulations and age restrictions.
The elected officials wrote a letter to OCM requesting this location be rejected. The letter to the OCM is viewable here.
“Our state continues to be an unaffordable and unsafe place to live as we continue to see our quality of life diminish. The fact that this cannabis dispensary is potentially legally permissible in an area where there are five nearby schools and two nearby houses of worship (totaling 8,000 students) is a prime example of how broken and out of touch our state government truly is. I applaud Community Board 10 for making the right decision in this instance. We will continue to apply pressure on the Office of Cannabis Management to ensure this location is not approved.”
“A 6,000 square foot marijuana dispensary only a few hundred feet from a dozen houses of worship and schools, including day care centers, is inappropriate and the New York State Office of Cannabis Management must reject this proposal,” Congresswoman Malliotakis said. “I’m proud to join my colleagues, concerned residents of Bay Ridge and Community Board #10 in voicing our strong opposition to this pot shop that will only further deteriorate quality of life.”
“I continue to stand firm in my opposition to the proposed opening of this cannabis dispensary,” said Brook-Krasny. “With the community board already voting against this proposal it should be clear that New Yorkers do not want these dispensaries in their communities within walking distance of their schools. Minors have already been far too exposed to cannabis in recent years and approving this new facility would only further this dangerous trend. I urge the Office of Cannabis Management to reject this proposal to protect our kids and keep our community safe.”