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New York officials are ramping up efforts to stop the statewide proliferation of unlicensed smoke shops selling marijuana, as the state struggles to boot up its legal marketplace.
Since cannabis became legal in the state in 2021, thousands of unlicensed vendors selling marijuana, edibles, vape products and more have been undermining the state’s legal weed industry, with the issue being most pronounced in New York City. Currently, there are just 23 legal dispensaries open across the state, with only nine in New York City.
A new report by New York City’s Independent Budget Office determined that an estimated 1,500 unlicensed retailers in the city may hold as much as $484 million worth of marijuana products. If all those items were sold legally, the sales would generate $19.4 million in revenue for the city, the report found.
The state has started to crack down on the unlicensed shops by increasing inspections of stores, which can face fines or closure. But its effort has only begun to chip away at the vendors, particularly in New York City.
“We’re getting to as many as we can,” said Daniel Haughney, enforcement director at the state Office of Cannabis Management, in an interview with CNBC.
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