Q&A
Resources for illegal cannabis operators to enter the legal market
1:16:55
·
3 min
Council Member Banks inquires about resources available for illegal cannabis operators who want to transition to the legal market. Sheriff Miranda provides information on available resources and shares insights on the nature of the illegal operations they encounter.
- Resources are available through NYC Cannabis and the state Office of Cannabis Management
- Sheriff Miranda states that most enforcement hasn't impacted those from the traditional 'legacy' market
- Many illegal operators are described as profit-driven and selling potentially contaminated products
- The Sheriff emphasizes that these operators show no intention of complying with legal market regulations
Chris Banks
1:16:55
And, also, once a store has paid lock in that particular entity or LLC or corporation, whatever they are organized as, what is is there any are there any resources for those particular individuals, or are they entirely banned from competing for a license?
1:17:19
What is being done to assist those folks because, you know, the reality is that these are communities that have been, you know, traditionally harmed by by by the sell selling of cannabis.
1:17:32
And this particular law was obviously meant to assist and to assist and support communities.
1:17:40
So what's being done to assist these folks who have went about it the wrong way and possibly now wanna do it the right way, what resources are there to support them.
1:17:52
So we're not for for pushing them to to continue or in the black market.
Anthony Miranda
1:17:58
Well, 2 things I would say is, 1, they can go to New York City, New York NYC Cannabis, which helps them with their resources and how they can participate in the legal market, and they can go to the state office of cannabis management as well.
1:18:12
I do not believe that most of our enforcement has impacted what do you call judge.
1:18:19
The traditional market of people that were involved in the legacy market.
1:18:25
Most of our enforcement, we have not encountered people from the legacy market.
1:18:29
So despite what people want to present, this is mostly people who came into our communities.
1:18:33
They are selling illegally and they are profit driven and they are selling products that are potentially contaminated and not have no safety measures, and they're in danger in our community.
1:18:42
The packaging alone indicates that they're not trying to comply with any part of the law, that we're going in and finding these type of products.
1:18:48
They made a determination that they don't wanna participate in the legal market.
1:18:51
This is not acceptable.
1:18:53
This was never supposed to be part of the new process of when we legalize cannabis.
1:18:58
What you're seeing in front of you is exactly what we're finding in these locations, and they have no intention of participating in the legal market if they're doing this.
Chris Banks
1:19:06
Well, I mean, from speaking to some of them, if they do wanna participate and they're asking, will they be permanently banned from being able to compete for a license?
1:19:17
Yeah.
1:19:17
And these are folks who obviously Like, we don't we don't need some of y'all Brownsville.
Anthony Miranda
1:19:22
I I understand
Chris Banks
1:19:23
being have been harmed by it by this and wanna participate.
1:19:26
But, obviously, did it the wrong way, and now I wanna you know?
1:19:30
So we we we we obviously, I understand the need for enforcement.
1:19:36
And we need to close down the illegal shops, but we also need to look at a way to give some type of redemption to those folks who are who who would win about it the wrong way.
1:19:47
So I
Anthony Miranda
1:19:47
I completely understand that we found those other people.
1:19:50
We are definitely helping them.
1:19:51
There are sources out there to the city offers and the state offers to be able for people to participate legally in the market in the various forms that they can.
1:19:59
But we're focused on the ones that are selling and getting our communities sick right now, and that's the enforcement that we're really focusing on.
1:20:06
Again, I understand the justice and period, and and, again, I understand what we're talking about here.
1:20:11
But majority of what we're finding are not in that market, but there are resources available to anyone who wants to participate in the legal market.
1:20:20
And I haven't walked into a store yet that says, we're illegal, but we've comply with all the rules and regulations that the state has offered because there are various particular rules and regulations about opening a legal business, the the the paintings, the coloring, the advertisement, and the packaging of product.
1:20:36
So I haven't walked into one location that said, I was unable to get a license.
1:20:40
I comply with all the other rules and regulations, but I just don't have a license.
1:20:44
We haven't encountered that yet.
1:20:45
That would be a unique situation to find somebody doing that.
