Local law enforcement leaders from all across Western New York met in Livingston County Thursday on dealing with the legalization of marijuana.

“We are in opposition of marijuana,” announced Livingston County Sheriff Tom Dougherty on behalf of the state sheriffs and police chiefs association.

He discusses the impact legal recreational marijuana would have on the region's police forces by saying, "Recreational drugs are reckless. We understand that drugs exist and when controlled by a doctor or in a controlled environment, they are useful, but making a recreational drug legal is dangerous for highway safety — and that is the message today."

Other concerns addressed: public safety, roadside sobriety test issues and even matters involving the K-9 units.

“We’re all looking at our K-9 units — that’s just in Livingston — so take that on a statewide basis, we’re talking millions of dollars of taxpayer money that’s going to be in concern,” added Dougherty.

Health leaders are also urging the states legislators to consider the concerns addressed by New York law enforcement.

“We’re concerned locally with the different perspectives, from safety and from health,” said Paul Pettit, public health director for Genesee and Orleans counties. “Listen to the local experts, to the ones who deal with the communities on the ground.”

After the conference, Spectrum News spoke with Monroe County Sheriff Todd Baxter, who too, addressed concerns with recreational marijuana potentially blowing into the state.

"We're not here to debate whether or not it's a good social thing or a bad social thing [but] we have some public safety concerns that are real that we want to have addressed during the legislation process so people understand and help support those concerns so we can do our job better,” he said.

In total, eight counties were represented — all taking a stance against the legal use of recreational marijuana.