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Gov. Kathy Hochul says the abundance of illegal marijuana dispensaries in New York is hurting legitimate businesses, and she’s asking social media companies to help her crack down on illegal pot shops.
The space where Bar Veloce is now on Ninth Avenue may soon become Hell’s Kitchen‘s first legal marijuana dispensary. An application was recently submitted.
“I think the illegal stores are making the climate really difficult right now,” said Charlie Todd, with Community Board 4.
There are currently no legal pot dispensaries in Hell’s Kitchen, but you’d never know that by the countless illegal shops on almost every block.
“It’s understandable why citizens … are very reluctant to get on board with new cannabis shops because of the astronomical amount of illegal stores that don’t play by the rules, that are selling to minors, that have product of questionable origin,” Todd said.
The state has struggled to control the proliferation of illegal pot shops, which don’t contribute to the marijuana sales tax, since recreational use became legal three years ago.
CBS New York’s Ali Bauman asked New Yorkers if they could tell the difference between an illegal shop and a legal one.
“No, I didn’t even know they were illegal. You just told me that,” Zee Grant said.
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