NYC Leaders Call for Limit on Pot Shops

City Council members from all five boroughs are calling on Governor Kathy Hochul to reject a proposal from the state’s Cannabis Control Board that would allow more licensed cannabis shops to open in New York City neighborhoods. The council’s “Common Sense” Caucus, comprising nine members, expressed their concerns in a letter sent to Hochul, criticizing the board's plan to waive the existing 1,000-foot buffer zone between cannabis dispensaries. They argue that reducing this buffer would worsen the current situation, with Council members from Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island, and The Bronx voicing their opposition. The lawmakers praised Mayor Eric Adams’ “Operation Padlock to Protect,” which has successfully shut down numerous illegal cannabis shops, as a positive measure to regulate the state’s legal cannabis market. In a related event, representatives from Manhattan’s East Side highlighted the ongoing issue of illegal dispensaries, with Assemblyman Harvey Epstein emphasizing that easing the buffer rule would not be prudent at this time. He noted that oversaturation of the market could hinder the success of legal cannabis sales, especially as illegal shops continue to operate. In response to the backlash, the Office of Cannabis Management defended the proposed changes, stating that the current regulations are too broad and lack specificity. They indicated that the Cannabis Control Board would develop criteria to evaluate requests for waivers based on public convenience and advantage, with a 60-day public comment period planned to gather feedback from stakeholders on the new framework.