ALBANY, N.Y. — There are currently more illicit cannabis shops in operation than legal dispensaries in New York State.
Experts believe there are around 36,000 illegal shops currently operating across the state, while only 100 licensed cannabis dispensaries are in operation.
Many blame the slow roll-out of licenses for the creation of tens of thousands of illegal cannabis shops. At the same time, only 14 investigators are employed by the Office of Cannabis Management to look into these illicit operations.
During a hearing in October, Chris Alexander, OCM’s executive director, said that the office is making progress through partnerships with the State Department of Taxation and Finance and the State Attorney General’s Office to deter the illicit smoke shops, but asked for new legislation to increase penalties, claiming the $20,000 per day limit is not enough to deter some owners.
During the State of the State, Gov. Hochul’s office shared that OCM inspectors were dispatched to 381 illicit cannabis shops, a drop in the bucket of an estimated 36,000 in operation. Despite this fact, investigators seized over 11,800 pounds of illicit cannabis worth more than $57 million.
Gov. Hochul revealed Friday that initiatives to shut down illicit cannabis operations were pushed through as part of
