Onondaga County Sheriff Gene Conway is uncertain about the local impact of legalizing recreational marijuana.
Despite New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s push for legalizing recreational marijuana, the Onondaga County Sheriff Department has not looked into the potential outcomes.
“I don’t really know what the impact would be here relative to other parts of the state,” Conway said. “Maybe that’s something we should also be looking at a little bit harder ourselves right here in Onondaga County.”
There is widespread support among lawmakers to legalize marijuana, but a complex debate over how to do it. This controversy has trickled down to the County Sheriff Department. They are uncertain if Onondaga County is ready for the recreational use of marijuana. However, Sheriff Conway says they are certain that there will still be underground sales.
“I know for a fact that the black market underground will not go away,” Conway said. “We will always have people who will want to make money and that don’t want to pay a tax on it [marijuana] as a business owner.”
Granting the potential impact, Sheriff Conway does not have plans on how future law enforcement will respond to recreational use.
“No there isn’t anything we are doing right now to prepare for it,” Conway said.
Over fifty people were in attendance and many had the same question. How will legalizing recreational marijuana impact impaired driving enforcement practices?
“That is a much harder detection for law enforcement to make out on the street,” Conway said. “There’s no device for it. So basically the officer’s observation is based on their training to determine initially if you are impaired.”
Sheriffs across the state held a news conference in February speaking out against recreational marijuana. Since then, Sheriff Conway says law enforcement in central New York will work together and is on the same page about enforcing recreational marijuana.
