NEW YORK -- On the eve of 4/20, Gov. Kathy Hochul unveiled a new plan to shut down thousands of illegal marijuana shops operating in New York. A new law in her state budget will allow law enforcement to lock them up, literally, with padlocks.'My friends, the insanity stops right now,' said Hochul. Hochul and state lawmakers have been under intense pressure to close unlicensed shops popping up across the state, particularly in New York City, since marijuana sales were legalized.
Slow rollout opened window for illegal shops to thriveThe popularity of illegal smoke shops has been compounded by the rollout of the state's cannabis program, which was slow to issue licenses, and the fact that what they sell is often cheaper because they don't pay state sales tax. 'They got a head start. There's a lot of them out there.