NY must be cautious in its marijuana rollout

At the U.S. Open this past week in Queens, tennis player Maria Sakkari of Greece smelled marijuana in the air, a pungent odor that has become all too familiar to New Yorkers. It was strong enough during her match on Court 17 that Sakkari complained to the chair umpire. She wasn’t the only player to do so at the Open.

“It was weed,” Sakkari said. “It was smelling quite a lot.” Another player complained the court area “smells like Snoop Dogg’s living room … Oh my God, it’s everywhere.”

Open officials investigated the origin of the odors but found no culprit. Smoking at this tennis site is not permitted. But such awkward experiences have become commonplace for many New Yorkers. People are smelling marijuana everywhere — in public places, on the streets, and even in their backyards. 

The unwanted whiffs of pot beg a serious question: What are we, as a society, getting into with legalized marijuana?

New York State is in the early stages of a large social experiment and is struggling to provide an answer. But there already seems enough evidence to make some sober assessments.

On Long Island, consumer demand for legal pot seems high. This summer, long lines of customers have stood outside the new Strain Stars in East Farmingdale, the only recreational marijuana dispensary in the region. Some 35 other businesses are expected to follow in Nassau and Suffolk counties if they can find locations.

LEGAL HURDLES

That won’t be easy given the legal hurdles posed by some local governments. On Tuesday, an Albany judge paused the opening of 23 planned pot shops around the state because of questions surrounding licensing requirements, adding another delay to the slow rollout of authorized pot dispensaries since the bill legalizing recreational pot use was approved in 2021.

But clearly, after many years of often-bitter legislative debate, the public determined it wants weed legalized, the same way Prohibition against alcohol ended in 1933 after…