City and state task forces have closed more than 1,000 illegal cannabis shops since Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a law expanding their enforcement powers, she and Mayor Eric Adams said Wednesday.

A city initiative known as “Operation Padlock to Protect” has shut down more than 779 stores across the five boroughs since it launched in May, the two elected officials said at a press conference.

What You Need To Know

  • City and state task forces have closed more than 1,000 illegal cannabis shops since Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a law expanding their enforcement powers, she and Mayor Eric Adams said Wednesday

  • A city initiative known as “Operation Padlock to Protect” has shut down more than 779 stores across the five boroughs since it launched in May

  • The New York State Illicit Cannabis Enforcement Task Force, meanwhile, has shuttered an additional 230 shops across the state

  • Adams said city has seized $41 million in illegal cannabis products and issued more than $65 million in civil penalties since “Operation Padlock to Protect” kicked off

The New York State Illicit Cannabis Enforcement Task Force, meanwhile, has shuttered an additional 230 shops across the state, Hochul said, adding that both figures represent “a real success story.”

“That thousand number, I'm really proud of that. That's just in a few months. That's not since the beginning,” she said. “It's since we've been able to allow sheriffs and local police officers and the NYPD and the State Police working together on a task force that we started to be able to go up and go to these nuisance stores — and finally, they're all going up in smoke.”

Adams said city has seized $41 million in illegal cannabis products and issued more than $65 million in civil penalties since “Operation Padlock to Protect” kicked off.

“We must padlock these places to protect the people of this city and send a clear message that you are not going to peddle your illegal items on our community residents and destroy the legal market,” he said.

Earlier this month, an inspection of a deli in the Bronx led law enforcement officers to discover the store was serving as a front for marijuana product distribution.

A few days later, an inspection conducted in another Bronx neighborhood resulted in the discovery of around $10 million worth of illegal drugs.

“These places are becoming just disrupters in the quality of life of New Yorkers,” Adams said.

Unlicensed shops faced little resistance from law enforcement since the state passed its recreational marijuana law in 2021.

Enforcement lacked teeth, and illegal operators found it was easy to open up after a shutdown.

“They were just so arrogant. They would clip the locks and go back in and say: business is open,” Adams said.

But Hochul helped negotiate new rules as part of New York’s $239 billion state budget passed in May.

This allowed the city Sheriff’s Department, NYPD and any local law enforcement agency across the state to act as agents of the Office of Cannabis Management.

This meant that after investigating a claim of illegal operations, they can make the decision to padlock faster.  

In a press release, the governor’s office said legal cannabis sales in New York City increased by 72% in the 10 weeks since the crackdown began.

“We’re on the way to ensuring that this is going to be the fairest, most equitable industry,” Hochul said. “The money’s coming, and we’re going to stop the illegal actors from harming our kids.”