New York Mayor Pledges Crackdown on Illegal Pot Dealers

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Thursday his administration is ready to crack down on illegal cannabis retailers that have multiplied across the five boroughs.

“We will not allow these businesses to remain open,” Mayor Adams said at a news conference, as quoted by the NY1 news agency.

The deals, which have become a staple in the Big Apple this year, show how cumbersome it can be for state and local officials to enforce new marijuana laws.

Recreational cannabis was legalized in New York in 2021 when then-Governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law a bill that ended cannabis prohibition in the Empire State.

The new law went into effect immediately, allowing adults 21 and older in the state to have weed in their possession and smoke it in any public place where cigarettes are also allowed.

But the state’s regulated cannabis market has yet to fully launch. That hasn’t stopped a number of eager entrepreneurs from getting a head start on the coming “green rush,” though none of the stores selling marijuana in New York are technically legal.

Mayor Adams appeared at Thursday’s press conference along with New York Sheriff Anthony Miranda, who, according to NY1, “held up an edible in a wrapper that looked like a Willy Wonka candy bar.”

“These are the products that are not targeted at our adult population and these are the products that put our children at risk,” Miranda said, as quoted by the outlet. “It seduces our children and is very misleading.”

NY1 reported that “Adams said authorities visited 53 locations, seized $4.1 million worth of product and committed 566 violations during a recent two-week sting operation.”

Miranda told reporters at the press conference that “average fines for each location are $30,000 to $50,000,” per NY1.

This isn’t the first time officials in New York have cracked down on unregulated cannabis traffickers.

In February, the state Bureau of Cannabis Management said it had sent cease and desist letters to a number of such businesses, ordering them to stop immediately and warning that continued sales could jeopardize their prospects for a marijuana retail license.

“We want to make sure these operators fully understand the law and the consequences they are facing, and now that these letters have been sent out we expect them to cease and desist from their activities – if they don’t.” , we will take action.” Chris Alexander, executive director of the Office of Cannabis Management, said at the time.

State regulators have warned that products sold at unlicensed retailers could be unsafe, an assessment supported by a report released late last month by a coalition of trade organizations representing the legal cannabis industry in New York and the surrounding area states represented.

The report found that about 40% of marijuana products withdrawn from unregulated stores in New York City contained pollutants such as E. coli, salmonella and lead.

“The report’s findings are deeply disturbing and highlight the enormous risks posed by unscrupulous companies operating above the law,” said Ngiste Abebe, president of the New York Medical Cannabis Industry Association (NYMCIA), one of the group’s backers. “New York has a responsibility not only to protect the health and safety of its residents, but also to fulfill the promise of a socially just market for adult use. None of the goals can be achieved without stricter enforcement against bad actors.”

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in October that she expects the state’s first regulated cannabis retailers to open by the end of the year.

“We expect the first 20 pharmacies to be open by the end of this year,” Hochul said. “And then about 20 more every month. So we’re not just going to throw it out like that. It will work and be successful.”