Illegal cannabis shops in NYC
According to the NYPD, more than 1,300 illegal marijuana stores are selling pot without a license.
NEW YORK – It’s hard to miss the marijuana shops on almost every block in New York City.
According to the NYPD, more than 1,300 illegal marijuana stores are selling pot without a license.
“I admit, I don’t think we ever talked about this scenario happening,” St. Senator Liz Krueger said.
Senator Krueger worked on the state’s recreational marijuana legislation for about 7 years.
But she admits that Democrats never accounted for such an expansive illegal market to pop up while the legal market was still being rolled out.
“Did we know there would continue to be an illegal market even as we rolled out and grew a legal market, yes,” Krueger said. “But I don’t think that we saw anything like this happening in the other states where there was almost an organized come on in and just start opening all these stores.”
There were some outside factors.
Once the recreational marijuana bill was passed in March 2021, then Governor Andrew Cuomo failed to appoint anyone to the Office of Cannabis Management. It was considered an important step to kick-start the industry.
“He made it very clear he had no intention of letting it move anywhere or hiring anyone to start the agency,” Krueger explained.
It wasn’t until Governor Kathy Hochul took office at the end of August 2021, did the ball get rolling on the recreational market.
“But that still sincerely…
