EGN NEWS DESK
It’s been two years since The Post began flagging the explosion of iIlegal pot retailers, and so they nonetheless plague town — flipping the center finger to legislation and order as each neighborhood stares at legal enterprises working overtly in its midst.
The metropolis now holds all of 34 licensed retailers, however they compete at an obstacle — and the distinction is way from apparent to the informal buyer. (Not that, let’s face it, most consumers actually care.)
The feckless state Office of Cannabis Management doesn’t even fake to know what number of there are.
And town’s efforts to shut them down don’t present much more feck: We simply reported this week on a pair of Queens retailers again in biz only a day after being closed down by the cops.
Maybe the trouble to go after their landlords will begin paying off, however to date we don’t see it.
The root fault is the Legislature’s (and then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s) for passing a legalization legislation that additionally wound up giving some protections to black-market sellers, so seedy store homeowners can flout the legislation in broad daylight.
To her credit score, Gov. Hochul has introduced a number of measures to crack down on the unfold of the unlawful retailers, together with steeper fines and making it simpler for native law-enforcement to close down illicit retailers.
But in fact the Legislature is in no rush to cross something: Too many lawmakers are extra anxious about treating criminals gently than about defending neighborhoods.
Not solely are these retailers crime magnets, however their uncontrolled unfold eats up storefront area that may very well be used for companies that truly profit (non-pothead) locals.
Worst of all is the message despatched by lots of legal enterprises working routinely in all places: Either no person cares, or nobody can do something.
Two years on, you can’t do something a couple of blight in your neighborhood. And New York’s powers-that-be don’t care.
