In April, Governor Hochul unveiled new initiatives to shut down illicit cannabis operations and protect the legal marketplace as part of the FY25 Enacted Budget. The plan provides the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) and local municipalities with new authority to act against illicit storefronts and those who enable them. The initiatives are the strongest set of policies enacted thus far to tackle the illicit cannabis marketplace.

On May 21, Governor Hochul launched the Cannabis Enforcement Task Force. The Task Force, led by the State Police First Deputy Superintendent, is a major statewide effort to coordinate staff from several agencies to combat the illicit cannabis market. Through collaboration between the State Police, OCM and other state agencies, the Task Force is equipped to tackle the full scope of illegal cannabis activity. The Task Force has worked with landlords to evict illegal dispensaries, and works to penalize landlords who fail to take steps to evict tenants after they are informed they are operating illegally.

The State’s commitment to shutting down these unlicensed cannabis storefronts has had a direct impact on the legal cannabis industry. Since May 21, when the Task Force was launched, 230 illegal cannabis stores have been padlocked. In addition, OCM reports that over 6,000 pounds of illicit product was seized from these stores. Since Governor Hochul signed into law the authority to conduct regulatory inspections, OCM and DTF have seized over 6,000 pounds of illicit product valued at $22 million — bringing the statewide total seized since May 2023 to over 25,000 pounds of illicit product valued at over $110,000,000.