Mayor Eric Adams and Sheriff Anthony Miranda announced that more than 1,000 of the estimated 4,000 illicit cannabis shops in the city have been shut down since early May as part of “Operation Padlock to Protect.” This initiative followed new state regulations allowing local law enforcement, including the city’s Sheriff’s Office and the NYPD, to padlock unlicensed cannabis businesses for up to a year.
The large quantity of illegal cannabis was destroyed at the Reworld facility in Nassau County, where illicit substances are burned as part of the NYPD’s standard disposal process. This facility claims to convert the burned waste into renewable energy.
“We’re gonna destroy illegal cannabis in the city,” Mayor Adams stated during a news conference before the incineration. “It’s not going to go in our neighborhoods. It’s not going to target our children.”
Adams emphasized the importance of ensuring these illegal products do not return to the community. “The goal is the destruction of the product and not allowing people to just dump it wherever they can,” he added.
Reworld manager Bobby Green assured that the incineration process does not impact surrounding areas, explaining that the facility uses filtration systems to “scrub” most of the fumes, releasing 99% water vapor into the air. “All of the smells and fumes are contained within the process, they are destroyed in the process so that it does not affect the community that we surround,” Green said.
Since the launch of the latest enforcement action, city officials have inspected over 4,000 locations, resulting in the seizure of cannabis products valued at approximately $63 million. Efforts to close illegal stores have intensified due to concerns that they undermine the still-developing legal cannabis market. The proliferation of unlicensed shops has been attributed to delays in the state’s rollout of licenses to legal sellers.
Both Mayor Adams and Governor Hochul argue that these unlicensed shops negatively impact quality of life and pose public safety risks by selling unregulated products, often marketed towards children. They also contend that illegal sellers hinder the state’s efforts to prioritize licenses for entrepreneurs affected by the “War on Drugs.”
When questioned about the remaining 3,000 illicit shops that have not been closed, Sheriff Miranda indicated that many have been inspected and will undergo further inspection. “Over 1,000 locations have been sealed,” Miranda noted. “And we will be required to go back to some of these locations for reinspection. Some of them received cease-and-desist orders, which require a second visit. So there are ongoing investigations and we will be revisiting some of them a couple of times.”
