In New York City there are only a handful of dispensaries that have been licensed to sell marijuana, the recreational use of which has been legal in the state since 2021; however, thousands of shops and street stalls offer all kinds of cannabis-derived products.
Now the authorities want to stifle this proliferation.
To that end, Governor Kathy Hochul today proposed a bill that imposes fines of up to $10,000 a day on these recreational drug outlets that have sprung up like mushrooms throughout every neighborhood in New York and beyond.
The new law will give law enforcement, as well as the Office of Cannabis Management and the Department of Taxation and Finance, the ability to enforce restrictions on unlicensed store dispensaries.
The bill announced today also includes fines of up to $200,000 for the illegal possession of marijuana plants or derivative products.
Both the production, processing, transportation or sale of cannabis are regulated by state authorities, which require access to permits for the development of these activities.
“The continued existence of illegal dispensaries is unacceptable and we need additional tools to protect New Yorkers from dangerous products and to support our equity initiatives,” Hochul said, referring to the fact that marijuana legalization is intended to favor licensing to members. of communities that were victims of disproportionate persecution of marijuana use.
The legal cannabis industry has also shown its total disagreement with the massive presence of these premises, arguing that it harms them.
“Taxes on cannabis for adult recreational use fund our schools and drug treatment programs and public education,” said Acting State Tax and Finance Commissioner Amanda Hiller.
