_DNT_23rd_street_illegal_cannabis_shop_CLEAN "Despite rigorous measures, there are still illegal smoking shops, according to authorities")
The High Light Smoke Shop on East 23rd Street in Manhattan was closed late Tuesday morning. Online search results show the shop is permanently closed.
But local officials claim that this is not the case.
“Even though the gate is down now, it was open. And it’s still open,” said Manhattan Party Representative Harvey Epstein. “It’s still operating. We had people here, people going in and out. And the problem that exists in this community exists throughout the city.”
What you need to know
- Elected officials and community leaders in Manhattan called for increased enforcement against illegal cannabis sellers on Tuesday
- They held a press conference outside the High Light Smoke Shop on East 23rd Street, which they said has evaded enforcement efforts.
- Mayor Eric Adams and Governor Kathy Hochul recently announced a crackdown. A city task force has locked down more than 900 businesses, the mayor said.
At a news conference Tuesday, elected officials, community leaders and others said High Light is one of hundreds of stores that continue to evade New York’s recent crackdown on unlicensed cannabis sellers. The stores sell unregulated, sometimes unsafe products – often marketed to children.
“It’s a shame that there’s a store behind us and a school across the street,” said longtime community activist Ayo Harrington.
“These illegal businesses are undermining the legal cannabis market,” said Rep. Jerrold Nadler. “And we must continue to take the necessary steps to expedite their closure.”
Mayor Eric Adams and Governor Kathy Hochul have touted great progress in curbing illegal businesses in recent weeks.
A city task force led by the sheriff’s office not only locked down over 900 businesses, the mayor said on Tuesday, but authorities also searched several warehouses that allegedly supply illegal businesses.
“When you have that much money, you bring an organized element into play. And I’ve always felt that way,” Adams said during his weekly question-and-answer session with reporters. “And so we’re really looking at: How do we get to the supplier? And that’s the change we’re making.”
But participants at Tuesday’s press conference said the problem persists.
“The problem is we have thousands of businesses,” Epstein said. “And before we passed the budget, the mayor said he could – with the power we gave him – close the businesses. And unfortunately, businesses like this one remain open. So we really need to hear what it will take to be able to close them.”
Meanwhile, in an effort to increase transparency, the City Council has proposed a bill that would require the Adams administration to publicly release data on its cannabis law enforcement efforts.
