NY Finally Licensing More Legal Pot Shops After Disastrous Rollout

By: Jared Evan

The New York Post has the exclusive report that the New York Cannabis Control Board on Monday approved 99 more applications to open up shop, boosting the number of allowed licensed dispensaries from 66 to 165 in the state, after a disastrous roll out which resulted in thousands of illegal shops popping up all over the state, resulting in violent robberies and inferior products

An  estimated 1,500 illicit shops are flourishing in the Big Apple alone by illegally peddling cannabis while not paying taxes, much to the chagrin of New York City Mayor Eric Adams and local law-enforcement officials according to New York Post reporter Carl Campanile. There are only seven licensed marijuana stores actually up and running, at least partly because of ongoing legal battles.

The ongoing state budget talks mean that  Gov. Kathy Hochul and Albany lawmakers are eying a crackdown on black-market weed sellers by dramatically increasing fines and making it easier to shut down the rogue operators that appear to be popping up like weeds on every street corner.

Current law states that priority for getting the license to open a weed shop must be given to those with prior Marijuana convictions. The program’s rollout has been sidetracked by lawsuits that have blocked the opening of pot shops in major urban areas such as Brooklyn and the Buffalo and Syracuse regions upstate, regulators acknowledge.

The New York Post reports that the applications approved on Monday include 21 new licenses for pot dealers in Manhattan, 17 in Queens, seven in The Bronx, three in Brooklyn and 23 for Long Island. The first marijuana dispensary opened in Jamaica, Queens last week. It also was the state’s first site owned and run by a woman. To date, regulators have granted at least one cannabis dispensary license in each region of the Empire State, with the exception of the Finger Lakes, which remains blocked by a court injunction. According to the exclusive report, Not-for-profit groups with a history of serving ex-convicts are also eligible for cannabis licenses.

“These new licenses will allow entrepreneurs to fairly participate in the legal market while promoting innovation and creative diversity throughout New York’s ever-growing cannabis supply chain, and we’re thankful for the ongoing support of Governor Hochul and the Legislature for helping us reach this day,” said Tremaine Wright, chairwoman of the Cannabis Control Board, in a statement to The New York Post.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has stepped up in the fight against illegal pot shops, The black market dealers are so brazen and unafraid that one unlicensed cannabis operator was even selling weed products right across from City Hall. It was closed, then reopened and on Wednesday was closed again.

“Over the past several weeks I have been working with the legislature on new legislation to improve New York’s regulatory structure for cannabis products,” Hochul said.

“The continued existence of illegal dispensaries is unacceptable, and we need additional enforcement tools to protect New Yorkers from dangerous products and support our equity initiatives.”

The disastrous roll out of the marijuana licenses has made NYC the laughingstock of states with legal cannabis, while every other state had everything up and running, NYC’s deranged woke marijuana panel, put in place rules making it impossible to obtain a license. Woke standards including putting POC and felons to the front of the line, resulted in the thousands of illegal shops