The City of Albany is announcing four (4) public input meetings to solicit cannabis-related input to help craft municipal cannabis policy in the City of Albany, NY.
Mayor Sheehan is pleased to announce that Lydia Brassard and Raziq Seabrook have been selected as the Co-Chairs of the City of Albany Cannabis Advisory Committee. Co-Chairs Brassard and Seabrook will provide policy and administrative leadership of the Cannabis Advisory Committee. Co-Chairs Brassard and Seabrook will work with the members of the Cannabis Advisory Committee to help solicit feedback, inform, and shape cannabis regulations at the municipal level including the time, place, and manner of adult-use retail dispensaries and on-site consumption licenses, public education, and protection of community health and safety through the lens of social and racial equity.
Mayor Sheehan, Co-Chairs Brassard and Seabrook, and the members of the City of Albany Cannabis Advisory Committee want the public’s input about cannabis related matters including but not limited to: quality of life concerns, social equity, planning and zoning, enforcement, and tax reinvestment.
Co-Chair Lydia Brassard said: “It is an honor to serve alongside such a diverse and informed group of Albany residents committed to the work of proposing safe and equitable cannabis policies that center social justice and the economic empowerment of individuals and communities who have been negatively impacted by the criminalization of cannabis. I look forward to engaging community members across the City on the issues within the Committee’s purview in the weeks to come.”
Co-Chair Raziq Seabrook said: “The Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA) is fundamentally a restorative justice bill that presents us with the opportunity to begin alleviating harms inflicted by government sanctioned racial discrimination via direct engagement of – and investment in – targeted individuals and communities. If done right, the City of Albany has the opportunity to be a model for equitable implementation on the local level. I would like to thank Mayor Sheehan and my fellow board members for this opportunity to lead, and look forward to hearing from residents across the City about how best to ensure equity.”
The City of Albany Cannabis Advisory Committee Public Meeting Schedule is below. The initial three meetings will be held in person and will also be livestreamed to the City of Albany YouTube page.
The final meeting will be held via Zoom virtual meeting platform – to receive the Zoom meeting link please register to provide public comment using the below link.
Meeting #1 – Tuesday, September 20, 2022
6:00pm to 7:30pm
Swinburne Skating Rink
810 Clinton Avenue, Albany, NY 12206
Meeting #2 – Tuesday, September 27, 2022
6:00pm to 7:30pm
Washington Avenue Public Library – Community Room Floor 2
161 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12210
Meeting #3 – Thursday, October 6, 2022
6:00pm to 7:30pm
STEAM Garden
279 Central Avenue, Albany, NY 12206
Meeting #4 – Tuesday, October 11, 2022
6:00pm to 7:30pm
Zoom (register below to receive the link)
Residents and business owners interested in providing public comment should register to speak at the public meeting using this form.
Residents and business owners will also have the opportunity to register in-person or via email the day of to provide public comment. Same-day registration will close at 6:30pm the evening of the public input meeting.
Community members interested in submitting testimony or public comment are encouraged to do so using the form here or via USPS to the following address:
Local Marijuana
c/o Office of the Mayor
24 Eagle St., Room 102
Albany, NY 12207
Comments can also be submitted via text to (518) 618-2268 and via email to localmarijuana@albanyny.gov.
Community comments will be reviewed and considered by the City of Albany Cannabis Advisory Committee as the Advisory Committee works to compile a report of findings and policy recommendations.
The public is encouraged to periodically check the Marijuana Legalization webpage for information and updates related to the City of Albany Cannabis Advisory Committee and its public meeting schedule.
Original source can be found here.
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