Local attorney asks state to pull Purple Plains’ cannabis license

By THANE GRAUEL

Local attorney John Nathan told the Pound Ridge Town Board on Tuesday that he has asked New York State’s Cannabis Control Board to revoke the license of the company running the Purple Plains recreational cannabis dispensary.

Nathan had spoken at recent meetings, including a public comment session that allowed people to weigh in on the relicensing, and called into question whether the original application accurately detailed its ownership.

“I went ahead last Friday and filed a formal request that the Cannabis Control Board institute proceedings to revoke the license or not renew it,” he told the Town Board on Tuesday, March 3.

Purple Plains opened on Westchester Avenue in April 2024. Nathan said at a previous meeting its license was obtained under a program that gives priority to those who meet two conditions: having a prior conviction for a marijuana offense, and that person with the prior conviction owning 51% of the business.

He said Tuesday that he has spent months trying to verify that the person involved in the business with a conviction is indeed the majority owner but could not. 

Nathan said he presented the town attorney with all the evidence he had gathered on the question so “you will not be able to say ‘gee, we don’t know enough about this.’”

“It’s up to you to decide whether it’s in the best interest of the residents of this town to take a position based on this evidence,” Nathan told the board.

The Feb. 17 public input hearing was allowed by the state for people to weigh in on the topic. Town Clerk Erin Trostle said Wednesday that besides those who spoke at the meeting, no public comment was submitted to the town in writing.

Whether anyone sent comments straight to the state board is not clear. An inquiry from The Recorder had not been answered by Thursday.

Town Supervisor Kevin Hansan told The Recorder on Thursday he didn’t expect the Town Board to oppose the relicensing.

“I don’t’ think we heard anything distressing,” he said of the hearing.

He said the town has had “nothing but positive experiences” with the business since it opened.

The dispensary has generated significant income for the town under a tax sharing program. Local officials estimated last year’s total around $150,000, and in 2024, the total exceeded $95,000.

Nathan also has a court appeal pending after he sued the town, alleging it did not allow the public to weigh in several years ago when deciding if Pound Ridge should opt out of the state’s new rules allowing recreational retail dispensaries. The other neighboring municipalities held such hearings.