Photos by Steven
An array of legal notices are affixed to the storefront (and semi-obscured by the rolldown gate) here between 12th Street and 13th Street...
Smileys, which opened at the start of the year and describes itself as a "wellness shop," remained closed over the weekend.
As we've seen, shops that have been raided-fined have eventually resumed operations, new shops have risen from the ashes of shuttered venues, or new businesses with increasingly cutesy names arrive down the block.
Meanwhile, to avoid detection, several readers have noted at least two shops have removed their signage and only open in the evenings when a coordinated raid is less likely.
With a new law in place late in the spring, New York State — via the Office of Cannabis Management and Department of Taxation and Finance — ramped up efforts to shut down businesses selling cannabis without a license.
However, as NY1 pointed out on July 14, of "the 22 stores that were issued violations in the city, only six have closed down. Most reopened for business and continue to openly sell cannabis in violation of the law." Gothamist has more on the enforcement success here.
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The City recently published a piece titled, Your Guide to Legal Cannabis in New York City.
9 comments:
New York States rollout of legal marijuana is a disaster and the city is loosing out on so much tax revenue because of it. Get rid of the red tape and let this industry flourish
The one on the s.e. Corner of Ave A and 13th also has the orange sign pasted to the window. Part of the orange notice in the window has been blacked over ( probably by the store). It remains open.
the A & 13th store is the greatest eyesore I can think of, it's disgusting.
I'd have some sympathy if we were the 1st or even 5th state to do this. But we're like the 20th. This slow-motion, years-long bungling is almost as unforgivable as marijuana prohibition in the first place.
"the A & 13th store is the greatest eyesore I can think of, it's disgusting."
What is it with these places that they need to be so gaudy and aesthetically unpleasant? And so brightly lit.
Agree with Philbo. NYS gov acted like they were breaking new ground by legalizing. And then ended up doing a half-assed job. And in doing so paved a way for black market trade to come out and operate in storefronts in broad daylight. Maybe it is time to tuck tail between legs and finally look to some of the other states for guidance.
I think that even if you don't appreciate the smell, the clientele, the signage, or whatever, you kind of have to admire the spirit of the homegrown and carpetbagging weed entrepreneurs who have been taking advantage of loopholes and bureaucratic neglect and incompetence just like savvy NYC hustlers have always done since probably the 1600s.
That's a bummer about Smiley's getting shut down. (Maybe it's temporary?)
They had pretty good strains, some exotic that you wouldn't find elsewhere.
Agreed
If you really want to get rid of these shops. How about holding the landlords responsible for the commercial/storefront tenants they have sign leases. If would help the neighborhood if the landlords took some responsibility instead of just taking the money for leases. New laws need to be passed.
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