Town Changes 'Crack House Law,' Takes Pot Possession Off List

BABYLON, NY — The town of Babylon recently changed the town code to take away marijuana possession charges from the "crack house law."

The town's public nuisance law, dubbed the "crack house law" means that officials can remove all residents and condemn homes if there have been multiple arrests for certain crimes reported in one year at that address.

Read the full portion of the town code below:

The Town Board of the Town of Babylon hereby finds that buildings and places that are used for the sale of controlled substances and buildings and places being used for the consumption of controlled substances as well as other illegal activities exist within the Town of Babylon and that the recent proliferation of such places has brought to the Town's attention the devastating effect of real estate being used for improper purposes on the surrounding community and that these public nuisances exist in occupied and vacant buildings and on occupied and vacant developed and undeveloped real estate and that these public nuisances present a substantial risk to the health and safety of the surrounding community while interfering with the community's interest in the quality of life as well as their interest in the value of its property.

However now, that law has been changed to no longer include arrests for marijuana possession. Some other violations under the law include controlled substances offenses, prostitution offenses, gang offenses, reckless endangerment, weapons charges, and sex offenses. Arrests for the distribution of marijuana will still be considered.

According to Babylon's Deputy Director of Communications, Dan Schaefer, the change was made to reflect the recent change in New York State's decriminalization of marijuana.

Recently, Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposed legalizing marijuana in his 2021 State of the State address. His new proposal included creating an Office of Cannabis Management that would oversee not only new adult use of pot but also the state's existing medical and cannabinoid hemp programs.

What do you think? Do you believe marijuana should be decriminalized? Let us know in the comments below.