Parents protest Main Street cannabis shop in Hastings
Just steps from the Community Center, a children’s dance studio and Slices Pizza—where dozens of kids gather after school—residents say the shop’s location sends the wrong message.
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The legalization of recreational cannabis is igniting controversy in Hastings-on-Hudson, where a proposed dispensary at 45 Main St. has parents and local business owners fuming.
Just steps from the Community Center, a children’s dance studio and Slices Pizza—where dozens of kids gather after school—residents say the shop’s location sends the wrong message.
“We have 20 to 60 kids a day, ages 9 to 17, coming by here,” said longtime business owner Isaac Garson. “They’ll have to walk right past it.”
A petition against the dispensary, led by resident Lauren Berman, has collected hundreds of signatures, calling on the village board to intervene.
Berman accused trustees of “silence” and failing to allow a public vote.
Meanwhile, dispensary co-owner Josh Elyshar insists the business will strictly bar anyone under 21.
With both sides holding firm, the Board of Trustees has referred the matter to its attorney—leaving Hastings divided over where legality meets community values.
