Yo, peeps! This is Dan, and I’m here to drop some knowledge about what’s been goin’ down in New York. So check it, the state cannabis regulatory agency just put out a report about how they’re crackin’ down on all them unlicensed cannabis shops. The New York Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) ain’t playin’ around, y’all.
In November, the OCM and the New York Department of Taxation and Finance (DTF) went out and investigated 71 shops that they suspected of sellin’ weed without a license. They even went back and re-inspected 13 of those retailers. And guess what? They seized a whole lotta stuff. We’re talkin’ 812 pounds of cannabis flower, 701 pounds of edibles, and 61 pounds of concentrates. That’s some serious green, my friends. The OCM estimated that all that weed was worth a cool $7,284,986.
And get this, last month’s actions brought the OCM’s total number of inspections up to 350 since they started crackin’ down in October. They’re not messin’ around, folks. This agency was created after New York legalized cannabis earlier this year, and they’re promisin’ to keep inspectin’ those shady weed retailers every single week.
But wait, there’s more! The OCM also had some big wins in court. On November 21, they teamed up with the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) and got a court to issue a permanent injunction and one-year closing order against a dude named David Tulley. This guy was sellin’ weed without a license at his spot called “I’m Stuck” in Wayne County. The court saw through his BS argument that he was just runnin’ a “cannabis consulting business” and shut him down for good. This victory is a game-changer, y’all. It sets a precedent for the state to shut down these illegal weed shops for a long time.
But that’s not all. On November 9, the OCM and OAG got another court to issue a restraining order and an order to close and padlock another shop. This time it was George West’s place called Jaydega 7.0 in Canandaigua, New York. These unlicensed operators can’t catch a break, man.
Now, let’s talk money. The OCM ain’t messin’ around when it comes to fines. If you’re caught sellin’ weed illegally, you could be lookin’ at fines startin’ at $10,000 per day. And if your conduct is super messed up, they can jack it up to $20,000 per day. Plus, if they slap a closure order on your shop and you remove it without permission, that’s another $5,000 fine. And that’s not all, folks. You could also face more violations and penalties under the state’s tax laws. It’s no joke out here.
OCM executive director Chris Alexander knows what’s up. He said, “We gotta shut down these illegal operators, man.” He knows that the best way to deal with these unlicensed shops is to get more legal businesses in the game. People wanna know where their weed is comin’ from and they wanna know it’s safe and legit. That’s why the OCM is gonna keep seizin’ those illegal products and workin’ with all levels of government to tackle this public health crisis.
But let me tell ya, there’s still a long way to go before we can fully contain this illicit market. Michelle Bodian, a partner at Vicente LLP, said that we need a whole lot more action from regulators to really make a difference. She’s cautiously optimistic that with education and collaboration, we’ll start seein’ some real progress.
So there ya have it, folks. New York ain’t messin’ around when it comes to crackin’ down on these unlicensed weed businesses. The OCM is takin’ names and seizin’ that green. Stay tuned for more updates, ’cause this fight ain’t over yet.
Peace out,
Dan