Editorial | ‘Padlock to Protect’ doing the job that should have been done at the start of cannabis rollout

“Operation Padlock to Protect,” the ongoing citywide crackdown on illegal cannabis shops that have sprouted up like, well, weeds in the last two years is doing a world of good for New York City.

The operation also is, as the old adage goes, better late than never — but better never late.

More than 750 illegal smoke shops have been shuttered, and millions of dollars in unlawful products have been seized across the five boroughs under “Padlock to Protect” since it was launched in May. A major dent has been made in stopping the illegal cannabis marketplace and giving business back to the legal, licensed cannabis dispensaries who have worked hard and spent their own resources to establish their businesses in this budding (pun intended) economic sector.

But if we’re being fully honest, this situation never should have happened.

When New York state legalized recreational marijuana growth, distribution, sale and usage of marijuana, it did so with several intents. One was to give economic opportunity to people who wound up on the wrong side of marijuana laws in recent years. Another was to ensure that New York state could regulate and tax marijuana products with a streamlined system that included fully licensed, knowledgeable vendors.

Yet the license rollout was slow, and in the void came all these illegal smoke shops that popped up across the landscape beginning in December 2022, when the recreational marijuana law took effect. The licensed vendors lost valuable business, consumers were left to buy cannabis products at their own risk, and the state lost an untold fortune in tax revenue.

In short, Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state legislature had no choice but to create a robust enforcement program to shut the illegal businesses down after the fact — an effort akin to herding cats stoned on catnip. While hundreds of businesses through “Padlock to Protect” have been shut down, there are plenty of others across New York City still in operation, and still undermining the legal cannabis trade with every passing day.

Yes, progress is being made through “Padlock to Protect,” and this effort (among others) is slowly, but surely, turning the corner in the cannabis industry. The NYPD, New York City Sheriff’s Office and other law enforcement have their work cut out for them, and while they’ve ably answered the call in the last two months, they still have a long way to go.

Here’s hoping the Adams administration keeps its foot on the gas pedal with “Padlock to Protect” until there are no illegal smoke shops left. And here’s hoping the state learned that it must be proactive, rather than reactive, in launching any new venture to guard against unscrupulous actors.

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