New York City

Dasheeda Dawson, the founding executive director of Cannabis NYC, announced last week she was stepping down as New York City’s “cannabis czar.”

A Queens County Superior Court judge has ruled that the New York City law enabling local law enforcement to crack down on unlicensed cannabis sales is unconstitutional because it violates the shop owners’ right to due process.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday that city officials will take action across the city against illegally operating cannabis shops as part of an enforcement effort called “Operation Padlock to Protect.”

A New York City business owner who was illegally selling cannabis at several shops in Manhattan was ordered to forfeit more than $400,000 in illegal proceeds and unpaid taxes.

The New York City Council Committee on Public Safety has passed a measure holding landlords accountable for knowingly leasing commercial sites to tenants who sell cannabis or tobacco products without a license.

Multiple Harlem-based businesses together filed a lawsuit this week that seeks to prevent the opening of a planned adult-use dispensary in the area.

New York’s second cannabis dispensary and first shop owned by an entrepreneur who was previously criminalized for a cannabis-related offense is set to open next Tuesday in Manhattan.

New York’s first licensed cannabis dispensary, Housing Works, will open its doors to customers for the very first time today at 4:20 pm.

The New York Medical Cannabis Industry Association said about 40% of products bought from unlicensed New York City cannabis shops tested positive for contaminants such as E. coli, lead, and salmonella.

A group of New York state lawmakers sent a letter last week urging New York City Mayor Eric Adams to “move swiftly” in clamping down on illegal cannabis sales.

Prosecutors in Brooklyn, New York are looking to dismiss 378 cases that originally stemmed from 13 NYPD officers who have since been convicted of falsifying records and other crimes. 

The Executive Director of New York’s Office of Cannabis Management said that applications for cannabis cultivation, processing, and other industry activities will be delayed until the middle of 2023.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) launched Cannabis NYC this week, which will provide services and licensing assistance to the city’s cannabis social equity applicants.

The New York City Police Department seized 19 vehicles after complaints that the owners were selling cannabis without a permit in Times Square.

New York City’s Bronx Community Foundation and the Bronx Defenders have partnered to create the Bronx Cannabis Hub, a centralized effort to assist individuals most affected by cannabis prohibition. 

Members of the New York City Fire Department will no longer be subject to random drug tests as per a Uniformed Firefighters Association leaked document.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D), a former New York City Police Department officer, said he doesn’t want to see heavy enforcement against businesses found to be illegally gifting cannabis.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) wants to include $4.8 million in his Fiscal Year 2023 Executive Budget for cannabis businesses in communities most impacted by the war on drugs.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) is exploring the possibility of allowing cannabis cultivation on the rooftops of buildings run by the New York City Housing Authority.

David C. Holland is an NYC lawyer working to advance the cannabis movement through advocacy, litigation, and legal counseling for cannabis entrepreneurs.