New York City officials recently launched ‘Operation Padlock to Protect,’ and according to a recent news release from the City, regulators have shut down over 600 cannabis shops operating without a license. Unlicensed cannabis stores have proliferated New York City in recent years.
“We have been clear: illegal smoke shops will no longer be able to operate with impunity,” said Mayor Adams in a news release. “‘Operation Padlock to Protect’ has already shut down and padlocked over 630 illegal smoke shops, allowed us to seize over $20 million in illegal products, and impose more than $51 million in fines and penalties on those who continue to break the law. Our administration has achieved remarkable results over the last three months, and last night’s raid on two major distributors and operators shows we will not stop until every illegal shop is held accountable. For too long, these shops have contributed to a feeling that anything goes in our city, but we are going to continue to shut down illegal shops and will ensure that the future of legal cannabis burns bright in New York City. I want to thank Sheriff Miranda and his team, as well as Commissioner Caban and the NYPD, for leading this operation.”
“Unlicensed cannabis shops aren’t just breaking the law –– they’re threatening our neighborhoods,” said Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Philip Banks III. “These shops undermine the legal market, evade taxes, attract robberies and shootings, and, most notably, threaten public safety by distributing products that haven’t been tested or regulated. Our job is to protect the people of New York City, and we’re doing that every day by shutting these illegal operators down.”
“We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to keep our communities safe from these unregulated and dangerous products,” said Sheriff Miranda. “The information we obtain from the community via 3-1-1 complaints and from elected officials are critical to the success of ‘Operation Padlock to Protect.’”
“The safe sale and distribution of legal cannabis in New York City requires a licensed, regulated, and standardized industry,” said NYPD Commissioner Caban. “Illegal cannabis operators running afoul of the law are posing a public safety and health risk to our communities and are destabilizing the emerging legal industry. The NYPD and our task force partners will continue to use every resource available to enforce existing cannabis regulations and, most importantly, to protect New Yorkers.”
Earlier this month, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced the New York State Cannabis Control Board (CCB) has “authorized the issuance of 109 adult-use cannabis licenses spanning the supply chain, encompassing microbusinesses, cultivators, processors, distributors, and retail dispensaries.”
“New York is building a robust and equitable legal market that is driving significant economic growth for our communities,” Governor Hochul said in a press release. “The issuance of 109 additional adult-use licenses is just one step in developing New York’s nation-leading cannabis industry.”
The breakdown of the 109 license types approved in New York this week includes:
- Adult-Use Cultivator License: 23
- Adult-Use Distributor License: 20
- Adult-Use Microbusiness License: 23
- Adult-Use Processor License: 22
- Adult-Use Retail Dispensary License: 21
58 out of the 109 are transitioning conditional cultivators or conditional processors according to the New York State Office of the Governor. To date there are 144 dispensaries open for business across the Empire State. A full list of New York’s licensed, operational adult-use cannabis retailers is available here.
As of March of this year, the New York Times estimated that there were roughly 2,000 unregulated cannabis shops in New York. In a June press conference, New York Governor Kathy Hochul referenced data indicating that sales at licensed dispensaries near shuttered illegal cannabis stores have risen 27% since the unregulated shop crackdown began