4 Tons Of Illegal Weed In NYC Set Aflame By Mayor Eric Adams
When cannabis was first legalized in the state of New York in March 2022 it was intended to benefit the city and state’s economy “while addressing the harmful impact of the “War on Drugs” on Black and Brown New Yorkers.” However, since then, illegal storefronts “have plagued our communities and taken business away from hard-working legal retailers,” said New York State Governor Kathy Hochul.
This summer, Mayor Eric Adams, New York City Sheriff Anthony Miranda, New York City Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Edward A. Caban, and New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) Commissioner Vilda Vera Mayuga worked to seize more than four tons, $63 million worth, of illegal cannabis product. Furthermore, in the past four months the administration has shut down over 1,000 illegal smoke and cannabis shops. This effort was aided by “Operation Padlock to Protect,” an initiative to seal all unlicensed smoke and cannabis shops. Mayor Adams said:
Illegal cannabis shops and their products endanger our young people and our quality of life, and that’s why we are padlocking dangerous storefronts and protecting our children, families, and communities from these illegal operators.
To deal with the four tons of seized illegal cannabis that was crowding NYPD evidence warehouses, the product was incinerated in conjunction with the NYPD’s standard evidence destruction process. The environmentally-responsible process uses the by-product as an energy source for the nearby community.
“Our successful efforts continue to keep our communities safe and create an environment where legal operators, who uphold public safety and realize the goals of social justice in the cannabis industry, are able to thrive. We are going to ensure that the future of legal cannabis burns bright in New York City,” adds Mayor Adams.
Moreover, an interagency hub of free resources about the cannabis industry, known as Cannabis NYC, was launched by the Adams administration to protect the legal market within the city and state. To learn more about Cannabis NYC, see here.
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