New York, Nov. 18. New York authorities have begun taking action against establishments that sell marijuana and products derived from the plant despite the state having yet to implement the March 2021 law authorizing the use of cannabis for recreational purposes.
So far, the Cannabis Management Office has launched an education campaign and is accepting business start-up applications from those affected by laws that criminalized possession of this weed and their families and has not yet opened the process for others interested in being part of this industry.
However, businesses have sprung up and started illegal sales in the city and across the state. Street vendors have also sprung up.
The city sheriff’s office, police, the Bureau of Cannabis and the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection have already conducted raids, the first on a Brooklyn borough business, arresting two people and seizing plastic bags and cans of marijuana, as well as vape and edibles, points out the financial information page marketwatch.com today.
Another raid on a Manhattan business was reported in the media.
According to Damián Fagon, of the Cannabis Management Office, companies that commit this violation will not be able to obtain a license.
“It’s going to be a multibillion-dollar industry that they won’t be a part of because of the mistakes they’re making right now,” Fagon said. Authorities have not identified the street vendors.
Since the law was signed, New York has worked on regulations on the sale of recreational marijuana, the purchase, use or possession of which is restricted to those over 21, allows possession of up to 3 ounces (85 grams) of weed inside or outside homes for personal consumption and will be able to purchase and grow up to six plants: three mature and another three growing.
This new industry is estimated to generate about $350 million annually, and some of that money is used to help marginalized communities that have been most impacted by the enforcement of anti-marijuana laws.
Governor Kathy Hochul’s administration anticipated that the statute would go into effect by the end of the year, but the permitting process has not yet been completed.
In New York, the medical use of marijuana has been permitted since 2014.EFE
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