Yorktown Adopts Smoke-Shop Moratorium

March 13, 2024 – The Town Board voted Tuesday to adopt a six-month moratorium on shops selling tobacco or vaping products.

The moratorium gives Town officials time to reject applications for new smoke shops while they consider changes to Town ordinances that permit such operations. Town officials are considering banning new smoke shops.

“This is precipitated by a smoke and candy shop that opened next to Starbucks. Our police, doing great police work, went in and did some undercover operations, only to find out that they were selling marijuana, and selling to underage patrons,” said Deputy Supervisor Ed Lachterman. “This is not the Yorktown I want to see.”

Yorktown opted out of a 2021 state law that allowed marijuana dispensaries to operate in certain jurisdictions. State law only allow adults 21 and older to buy, possess and consume cannabis products.

The passage of the cannabis law has led to a proliferation of smoke shops in Yorktown and other municipalities.

“There are ways we can limit the clustering of these stores, like what happened on Commerce Street,” said Town Board member Sergio Esposito. “It starts with the moratorium tonight.”

It is illegal for smoke shops that are not licensed by the state Office of Cannabis Management to sell marijuana products.

“The New York State Office of Cannabis Management is woefully understaffed, making regulation of these stores very difficult,” said Yorktown Police Chief Robert Noble. “During my law enforcement career in the Town of Yorktown, each ‘smoke shop,’ has proven to be problematic, in that they tend to market and sell their products to minors.  I am hoping that this moratorium is the precursor to meaningful local legislation and I am proud of the work that my YPD team continues to do every day.”