The New York City Sheriff’s Office is leading the enforcement efforts against the illegal sale of marijuana and cannabis products in the five boroughs.
It’s part of a new effort announced by Mayor Eric Adams to shut down unlicensed sellers in New York City as the state continues to lay groundwork for a legal retail market.
Already, the city has seen some success with the sheriff’s office issuing 566 violations and seizing $4.1 million worth of product at 53 locations during a two-week sting operation, according to the mayor.
New York City Sheriff Anthony Miranda is hoping to keep the momentum going.
He joined Pat Kiernan on “Mornings On 1” Friday to discuss the enforcement efforts, saying the illegal products flooding the market have become a health issue in the city.
“It’s an entire public safety issue right now,” he said. “We don’t know what they’re mixing these things with and [shops] are selling it to the community.”
Many of the products seized mimic the packaging of popular snacks and are manufactured in unregulated environments, Miranda said. They’re looking to get those products off the streets and provide education to the public, and the illegal retailers.
“The goal is enforcement, the goal is education. We’re gonna educate them about the process, making sure they go to NYC Cannabis to be able to qualify for the program,” Miranda said. “We’re gonna seize the products that we find and then we’re gonna move to close the locations down.”
The sheriff said his office is also looking to prevent unlicensed sellers from being able to set up shop again after being shut down.
“I’m sure we’re also going to be addressing the pipeline – how they’re receiving the stuff, how it’s coming into New York City,” he said. “And for the businesses themselves, we’re working with the department of finance to issue tax investigations to make sure they’re paying the appropriate taxes and filing fees and things.”
He said that the efforts against illegal retail will provide the right conditions for the legal market to thrive.