Watertown Could Reconsider Cannabis Dispensaries Amid Growing Revenue Opportunities

Watertown might finally be shifting its stance on cannabis dispensaries, and honestly, it's about time the city takes another look.

The topic came up at the 7NEWS town hall forum last Thursday, and what's interesting is that there seems to be a growing consensus in favor of legalization — or at least, allowing legal marijuana sales within city limits. Right now, dispensaries are still banned in Watertown, but that could soon change.

Council candidate Colin Burns kicked off the conversation, stating clearly that he supports reversing the city's previous decision to opt out. Sitting council member Lisa Ruggiero, who's currently running for reelection, backed him up and acknowledged that the landscape has changed since the city made its original decision.

Her reasoning? Other nearby towns are already seeing real results. Some are pulling in upwards of a quarter-million dollars in tax revenue from cannabis sales. That's money Watertown is missing out on.

Ruggiero explained that the city initially opted out because, at the time, the state had no clear regulations in place. “The reason why we opted out in the first place was once you opt in to sell it, you can never opt out, and the state did not have anything in place. No regulations, no nothing. It was so unknown, we felt it was safe to opt out until we knew more. So I think now is the time,” she said.

Honestly, I can't help but agree. Back then, caution made sense. But now that dispensaries are up and running across New York, it seems short-sighted to continue passing up the opportunity.

Mayor Sarah Pierce also seems to be warming up to the idea. “I think there's nothing wrong with revisiting it and seeing, is this something that makes sense for the city? And also, getting the public feedback now that these have been out in communities, what does the public think at this point now that they've seen it,” she said.

From what I can tell, there's growing momentum on the council. Members Cliff Olney and Ben Shoen are also open to reconsidering the ban. While there's no official resolution up for a vote just yet, Ruggiero reportedly wants to move quickly.

To me, this feels like a turning point. Watertown has a real chance to join other New York communities benefiting from the regulated cannabis industry. It's worth watching what happens at Monday night's council meeting.

📰 Original reporting by WWNY: Could Watertown reverse course on cannabis shops?