Amid controversy over the placement of a legal, adult-use cannabis store on 125th Street in Harlem, Mayor Eric Adams joined NY1's Dean Meminger on a tour of the area for a one-on-one discussion.

Adams didn't criticize the shop's placement, but said the state-run process should have included more community engagement from Harlem. And he suggested the city should have the authority to locate the shops.

"You know me, I want the ball. Winners want the ball when the game is on the line," Adams said, adding he would be willing to take on the additional pressure from deciding where legal dispensaries go. "No pressure, no diamond. I want pressure. I did not become mayor to climb a hill. I became mayor to climb a mountain."

The mayor also discussed the prevalence of unlicensed cannabis shops, balancing new development with preserving Harlem's cultural character, his philosophy on tackling youth violence, the relationship between communities and the police, and why New Yorkers shouldn't normalize the "dysfunctionality" in the city.

"Clean city, safe city, productive city," Adams said. "We've normalized trash, we've normalized violence, we've normalized people not being part of the city. And I'm saying to them 'don't normalize that.'"