New cannabis law proposed in Ontario County

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) – Lawmakers are proposing a change to the set of cannabis enforcement laws in Ontario County, expanding jurisdiction to the Ontario County Sheriff’s Office.

“ Local Law No. 12 (intro) of 2024 ” would intend to “…Establish Enforcement Authority for Prohibited Unlicensed Cannabis Activity,” according to the proposal on the County’s website. Essentially, it would allow the Ontario County Sheriff’s Office to assist in illegal cannabis operation shutdowns and code enforcement.

Marijuana business owners in the county, like Director of Cultivation at Bristol Extracts Jason Parshall, said they hope the law passes. According to Parshall, it’s much needed for their communities. It would ideally, he said, shrink the number of illicit stores and create a safer marketplace for the public.

“Most people believe that if you can walk in, hand them money and leave with cannabis, it must be legal, right? Because cannabis is legal. Most people do not even know that they’re shopping at an illegal source,” Parshall said.

The law may also lessen the load for agencies that are currently responsible for cannabis jurisdiction as well. Business owners within the law said they hope this means illegal businesses will be shut down quicker.

“With the county being involved, it gives us a broader scope and it’ll help allow us to eliminate all the illegal products out there that are not safe,” Owner of Twisted Cannabis FLX Ian Boni says.

The passing of this law could also alleviate worries many people who buy cannabis have about where their product comes from.

“We’ve had people come in here and buy product that say they’ve bought it from an illegal store down the street and they got sick, so you don’t know what you’re buying, and the consumer might not know if that’s illegal or not illegal,” Boni said.

The law is only in the proposal process and has not been officially passed. It will be discussed by the Ontario County Board of Supervisors at their next meeting on Sept. 12 at 6:30 p.m.

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