Attorney General James worked with city and state agencies to help shut down an illegal Bay Ridge weed shop after months of unlicensed sales.
Photo by Jada Camille/Inset courtesy of AG James’ office
City and state officials on Monday shut down a controversial Bay Ridge weed shop for operating without a license and ignoring multiple violation warnings.
Big Chief, an unlicensed dispensary at the corner of 74th Street and Third Avenue, was hit with a court order for selling cannabis and related paraphernalia for months without a legal license and repeatedly ignored the Office of Cannabis Management’s and law enforcement’s request to stop.
Along with the court order — handed down by Attorney General Letitia James, Governor Kathy Hochul and OCM — city officials are looking to penalize shop owners and property owners for allowing illegal activity to occur for so long.
“Unlicensed cannabis stores selling unregulated products pose a health risk to New Yorkers and hurt the businesses that are following the rules,” AG James said in a statement. “New Yorkers who buy and use cannabis shouldn’t have to worry about the quality and safety of the products they are purchasing, which is why all shops must be licensed and regulated.”
In August 2023, OCM and the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance found that Big Chief was still selling cannabis flower, concentrates, vapes, edibles, and pre-rolled joints without having a state-issued license to sell. Investigators confiscated 161 pounds of cannabis flower, 137 pounds of cannabis-infused product, 108 pounds of concentrated cannabis, and 60 pounds of cannabis pre-rolls. OCM issued a violation notice, ordered the shop to stop unlicensed activity and posted warning notices to for the public.
Two months later, OCM inspectors returned to the Bay Ridge shop to find the warning documents they posted on the front windows covered and that the store was still selling cannabis. They…
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