Cannabis dispensary license holders still blocked from opening in Port Jervis as council mulls zoning regs

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A Port Jervis couple who are fully licensed by the state to sell recreational cannabis say the city is trying to kill their business before it even gets started. They are accusing city leaders of intentionally delaying certain decisions that have to be made before they can open their shop. "It's spot zoning," said Devin York, who owns Puff and Pump, LLC with his fiance Katrina. "Nothing short of that." For a short time, the couple seemed to be on their way. They received a license from the state Office of Cannabus Management in March. They notified the city in November 2023 they planned to open a dispensary on Hammond Street, across the street from city hall, a location they said the OCM approved. After new officials took office in January the process has been slow-rolled, the couple said. "They agreed with the city of Port Jervis's sentiment in saying this is a good location [for a dispensary]," York said during an interview outside the building they are still paying $5,000 a month to rent. "The new administration came in and all of a sudden, this location is no longer viable." The City Council is now considering changes to zoning code that would bar cannabis sales at the Hammond Street location. York and Kebler said they have invested well over $200,000. "We've been trying to open for six to seven months now, and we can't even get awarded basic things like a CO (certificate of occupation) for our business," Kebler said. "They won't even give us that, let alone basic permits." Three City Council members were unavailable for comment Monday, and News 12 is still awaiting a response to inquiries from the mayor. Cannabis Activist Matthew Lemke has been helping York and Kebler build their case for the city to allow them to begin operations. Lemke noticed the city has not released video or meeting minutes from two June City Council meetings where the proposed zoning laws were discussed. "They still haven't posted the minutes for the June 10 meeting," Lemke said, "so I'm going to go across the street to city hall after this and file a FOIL request." News 12 has also requested video and minutes for the two meetings from the city clerk. As business hours ended Monday, Lemke, Kebler, York and some supporters rallied outside city hall just ahead of a City Council meeting where they planned to ask the council questions about the zoning proposals. "