It’s been a winding road, but New York is finally on the cusp of seeing legal adult cannabis sales launch in earnest. That it hasn’t already launched might come as a surprise to those of us who’ve seen a rash of weed-peddling smoke shops pop up in our neighborhoods, as impatient folks cash in on this liminal period after legalization but before the formal industry is set up.
There is nothing inherently wrong with outfits occupying what were often vacant storefronts in eagerness to join what they expect will be a growing sector, but these upstarts don’t get to leapfrog controls and regulations as they seek to gain a foothold without waiting in the proper lines.
The opportunists are selling uninspected, untaxed products, depriving the public of the health controls that any psychotropic substance should have to pass through, and depriving the state of the revenues that were a big selling point in the marijuana industry’s development in the first place. They’re also cutting the line to get ahead of the people who were supposed to be first, which is those who have been impacted by the drug’s prior criminalization. Giving such people an opportunity for ground-floor participation was intended to keep some of the profits created in communities harmed by old policies and stop deep-pocketed, national marijuana combines from cornering the market early on.
We agree with state Sen. Andrew Gounardes and Councilman Justin Brannan, who have called on the state Office of Cannabis Management to step up. OCM should make much heavier use of an effective tool in its arsenal: banning violators from receiving future retail licenses. The unlicensed retailers should understand that though they might make a quick buck now, they are jeopardizing their ability to participate in a burgeoning enterprise in the long term.
If and when they continue to disregard the rules, there should be the same outcome as for a shop that insists on selling alcohol without a license: forced closure. This is supposed to be a legal, regulated marijuana market, not a free-for-all.
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