NY shuts down alleged unlicensed hashish retailers as proprietor insists they solely give away free samples

New York officers shut down what they known as seven unlicensed hashish dispensaries within the western a part of the state Monday, alleging the proprietor ignored repeated notices to cease working with out approval, offered hashish merchandise to underage clients and as soon as held hunts for Easter eggs that had been redeemable for pot merchandise.

The proprietor of the “I am Caught” retailers in Cayuga, Oswego and Wayne counties, David Tulley, adamantly denied promoting merchandise to minors. Tulley additionally instructed The Related Press that his shops supply consulting and schooling about hashish merchandise for a payment and supply free samples, so they don’t want state licenses.

“We’re able to go to conflict with New York state and we get our day in court docket on Wednesday … so we’ll be joyful to speak to them,” Tulley mentioned.

Wednesday is when Tulley has been ordered to seem in court docket in Wayne County because the state seeks orders to shut his shops, cease him from meting out hashish merchandise and make him pay fines.

The store closures come as New York has boosted enforcement efforts in response to lots of of bootleg pot retailers which have opened because the state legalized leisure marijuana use in 2021.

New York legislation permits the state to impose a $10,000 penalty for every day a enterprise sells hashish with no license, in addition to a $20,000 penalty for every day hashish is offered after the enterprise receives an order to cease by the state. State officers say Tulley doubtlessly faces tens of millions of {dollars} in penalties, as a result of the state first despatched him cease-and-desist orders in February 2022.

Gov. Kathy Hochul, Lawyer Basic Letitia James and the state Workplace of Hashish Administration introduced the closure of Tulley’s shops, citing new authority in a legislation permitted earlier this yr that permits the lawyer basic’s workplace to take hashish legislation violators to court docket, upon request by the Workplace of Hashish Administration. State police helped shut down the shops — the primary retailers to be closed underneath the brand new state legislation, they mentioned.

“It’s vital to crack down on unlawful operators who’re breaking the legislation and undermining the success of entrepreneurs and shoppers who observe the principles,” Hochul mentioned in a press release.

State officers are also searching for penalties in opposition to the house owners of the buildings the place Tulley’s retailers are positioned.

Undercover investigators purchased $1,000 price of hashish merchandise from six “I am Caught” shops and mentioned a number of retailers illegally offered hashish merchandise to folks underneath 21, officers mentioned.

In April, Tulley’s shops marketed Easter egg hunts in public locations together with playgrounds and church buildings, authorities mentioned. The eggs could possibly be redeemed for hashish merchandise and kids’s toys, officers mentioned. A state investigator redeemed quite a few eggs for hashish flower, edibles, hashish seeds and different merchandise at considered one of Tulley’s shops in Macedon, authorities mentioned.

The Workplace of Hashish Administration additionally mentioned it seized greater than 47 kilos (21 kilograms) of hashish flower, 244 kilos (111 kilograms) of hashish edibles and 89 kilos (40 kilograms) of hashish focus throughout inspections of Tulley’s shops.

Tulley mentioned his retailers educate shoppers about hashish merchandise to allow them to make knowledgeable purchases at licensed dispensaries. He mentioned his retailers present free samples starting from a hashish gummy to 1 or two ounces of hashish flower.