At Woodhaven Boulevard and 64th Road in Rego Park sits Salsa Pizzeria, a new neighborhood joint serving up Neapolitan-style pies and other Italian fare.
Not long ago, however, the space housed an illegal cannabis shop — one of nearly 1,400 the city has shuttered as part of its “Operation Padlock to Protect,” officials said at a press conference at the site Wednesday.
What You Need To Know
- The city has shuttered nearly 1,400 illegal cannabis shops as part of its “Operation Padlock to Protect,” officials said Wednesday
- New rules included in last year’s state budget allow the city to padlock unlicensed cannabis shops for up to a year
- Since May 2024, its enforcement operation has seized more than $95 million worth of illegal products, City Hall said
“If you were here a year ago, these illegal products would be all over the shelves in the store,” Mayor Eric Adams said, holding up one of its wares.
New rules included in last year’s state budget allow the city to padlock unlicensed cannabis shops for up to a year.
Since May 2024, its enforcement operation has seized more than $95 million worth of illegal products, City Hall said in a release.
“The city was fed up,” Adams said. “We heard it at every town hall. We heard it in every area — we wanted something done [about] those illegal cannabis shops. It was attracting violence, it was attracting terrible products.”
Now, the city is trying to help landlords reopen padlocked stores, either as legal cannabis shops or other legitimate businesses, the mayor said.
“One year later, we’re standing inside of a location that benefited from this operation. And he didn’t have to stand alone,” Adams said, referring to Salsa Pizzeria co-owner and co-founder Mike Bancale, who stood by his side.
The city is encouraging landlords with padlocked storefronts to reach out to the New York City Sheriff’s Office to get their shops unlocked.
Its Department of Small Business Services, meanwhile, is working to support legal cannabis shop owners through its Cannabis NYC Loan Fund, which provides funding to nascent cannabis businesses, Adams said.
As of April, 160 legal cannabis dispensaries had opened throughout the five boroughs, with legal sales in the city surpassing $350 million last year, the mayor said.
“Good paying jobs, good industry,” he said.
“And for those who are out there, come to Mike’s,” he added. “Get some good pizza when you get the munchies from that good cannabis that you smoked.”