The state is taking action to get rid of the thousands of operators who are selling cannabis out of storefronts without a license.
Governor Kathy Hochul announced Wednesday that the state budget included provisions that provide greater enforcement powers to the Office of Cannabis Management, which oversees the industry, and the Department of Taxation and Finance to penalize and shut down stores engaged in the illegal sale of cannabis.
The city estimates that pot is being peddled out of about 1,400 storefronts across the 5 boroughs, with the problem also rampant in other areas of the state. Meanwhile, only eight stores across the state have opened that are legally permitted to sell it, five of which are in New York City.
