NYPD Raids Unlicensed Marijuana Dispensaries in Lower Manhattan

New York police raided two cannabis dispensaries in Manhattan Tuesday as part of an ongoing effort to curb unlicensed marijuana stores across the state.

(Bloomberg) — New York police raided two cannabis dispensaries in Manhattan Tuesday as part of an ongoing effort to curb unlicensed marijuana stores across the state.

Chelsea and Lower East Side locations for the Empire Cannabis Club were subject to an enforcement action from the NYPD, according to Steve Zissou, a lawyer for the chain. The NYPD confirmed the raid.

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The raid comes on the heels of a broader crackdown by the State Office of Cannabis Management and the Department of Taxation and Finance. The agencies conducted inspections at 33 storefronts in New York, Ithaca and Binghamton last month, issuing violation notices to 31 of those businesses, according to Governor Kathy Hochul. They seized at least 1,000 pounds of illicit cannabis with an estimated value of $11 million, she said.

New York legalized the use of recreational cannabis in 2021, making it legal to possess or gift as many as three ounces of cannabis, but the state has taken nearly two years to set up a system of licensing dispensaries to sell the product, leading to a proliferation of unlicensed dispensaries across the city.

Only 19 dispensaries are currently licensed to operate in New York.

The State Senate passed a bill last month to increase fines for illegal pot sales, but the measure didn’t pass in the Assembly.

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