Is New York finally getting its marijuana law sorted?

New York is one of the most important cities in the world. The marijuana industry considers the city to be one of the most important global markets. The state government had a strict plan to introduce recreational drugs and changed it within weeks of the launch. Chaos reigned and licensing practically slowed down. But is New York finally getting its marijuana laws under control?

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The chaos allowed around 2,000 illegal dispensaries to open in the state, with around 2,500 of them in the New York City metropolitan area. There were even unlicensed retailers within 3 blocks of New York's iconic City Hall. After trying to force landlords to close the shops and then begging social media companies to strip them of their platforms, the government had to act. The state legislature passed new laws to crack down on the unlicensed shops. Previously, the city's power to intervene was limited and the legal market was bogged down in bureaucratic hurdles.

The state is proud to have shut down around 1,000 illegal businesses in the state, including over 750 in New York City alone. Over 41,000 violations have been identified, with a total of $65,671,487 in fines issued. The city estimates that it has already seized a total of $41,443,792 worth of products, the fate of which is still unclear.

Making matters worse, some of the products being sold appear to be coming from California's black market. The closures could benefit the Golden State's efforts to get its chaos under control. The Empire State has fewer than 200 retailers, so this could be a huge boom for them. The illegal market has been very profitable in NYC, with some estimates putting sales at $1.5 billion in 2023.

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Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams celebrated the success of the crackdown on Wednesday.

“In the three months since we launched Operation Padlock to Protect, our government has achieved important results on a critical quality of life and public safety issue,” Adams said. “For far too long, illegal businesses have contributed to the feeling that anything is possible on our streets.”

Is New York finally getting its marijuana laws under control? The industry certainly hopes so.