Petition asking Long Beach to reconsider marijuana sales likely won't make ballot

Organizers in Long Beach are asking city officials to reconsider their vote to opt out on marijuana sales and become the only community in Nassau County to allow recreational use of cannabis.

A group of residents and volunteers collected about 700 signatures in support of retail cannabis sales in the city, falling short of the 1,300 signatures needed to add a citywide referendum to the November ballot.

City Council members voted in December to opt out of retail marijuana sales, joining Nassau's Town of Hempstead, Oyster Bay and North Hempstead. The vote also triggered a 45-day window for residents to collect signatures matching 10% of the city’s voter turnout in the 2018 gubernatorial election.

"We wanted to show a sign that residents really do want to opt in right now and our goal is to keep the pressure up," organizer and Long Beach resident Anne Flomenhaft said. "The city council can always take a simple vote to opt in. Now they should take this as signal to put the issue on as a referendum."

The petition will not trigger a referendum unless the appeal is certified, and city officials are now reviewing the signatures on it. Long Beach officials said the petition turned in Friday was the first submitted in support of a referendum in 15 years.

The decision may rest with the city council, which could choose to reverse its decision and permit marijuana sales in the city of about 33,000. The city council voted unanimously to opt out in December, citing the need for greater flexibility before opening marijuana sales.

"In terms of the process of opting in later on down the road, this council or any future Council could reverse the decision by a simple repeal of the December legislation, along with enacting corresponding legislation on opting in," City Manager Donna M. Gayden said in a statement on Tuesday "Before we get there, this council would want to see more detailed rules and regulations put forward by the state prior to considering any opt in."

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.