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Council to hold June 2 hearing to remove cannabis use from loitering law
Summary
Councilmembers set a June 2 public hearing to amend the city's loitering law to remove cannabis use from loitering definitions and align local code with state law that decriminalized marijuana possession and public use in certain places.
The Beacon City Council scheduled a June 2 public hearing to amend the city’s loitering ordinance by removing language that treated cannabis use as loitering, aligning local code with New York State law.
City legal staff explained that several years ago New York State decriminalized possession and limited prohibitions on cannabis, and the city’s existing loitering language — which treated marijuana use as evidence of loitering — must be updated. The draft would retain park rules (where use may remain prohibited) while removing a broader public-sidewalk prohibition inconsistent with state law.
Councilmembers voted to set the hearing after staff described the proposed cleanup edits and said the change is intended to bring the city code into conformity with state law.
