NY politicians to blame for disastrous marijuana law, Mike Bloomberg says

Former mayor Mike Bloomberg dismissed New York’s marijuana law as a disaster — blaming state legislators for passing out cannabis that helped criminals and hurt children, calling it “buying an ounce of pot.” Easy because it’s a slice of pizza.”

Bloomberg, who has rarely weighed in on New York issues since leaving City Hall a decade ago, said the legislation failed to address enforcement of criminal activity and before licensing legal cannabis shops to open. Allowed illegal pot shops to flourish.

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“It took so long for the state to get license operations up and running that entrepreneurs had almost two years to set up illegal operations – and they took full advantage,” Bloomberg said in his Bloomberg.com column.

He pointed to city estimates that there are about 1,500 illegal pot shops in the five boroughs, many with brick-and-mortar storefronts advertising their illegal sales.

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“Last year,” Bloomberg said, “illegal vendors made nearly $2 billion in sales across the state – better than a Broadway show. Buying an ounce of pot is as easy as buying a slice of pizza.”

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He said the law still makes it illegal to possess more than 3 ounces of marijuana and that possession of 8 ounces or more is a felony punishable by prison.

“But nobody would know that by looking at all the illegal shops and their advertisements. Just think of the signal it sends to criminals that the government is unwilling to crack down on so many storefronts selling drugs illegally — often to children,” Bloomberg said.

He cited statistics showing that drug and alcohol incidents in the city’s public schools have increased by 29% over the past year.

“This is particularly troubling given that there is overwhelming scientific evidence that marijuana can harm young people’s brains,” Bloomberg said.

Bloomberg cited another study that said some weed sold by unlicensed shops was contaminated with contaminants such as E. coli and salmonella and that the addictive and deadly fentanyl was being linked to illegal marijuana.

Current mayor Eric Adams has complained about lax penalties for illegal pot vendors, with one illegal weed peddler operating in a storefront directly across from City Hall.

“Voters must demand that New York’s governor and legislature take responsibility for this mess and fix it. Every elected official who voted for legalization and didn’t fix the problem essentially voted to allow illegal stores to sell marijuana to kids — which is outrageous, and voters shouldn’t forget that,” the former mayor said. Said.

“The New York experience should be a warning to the nation… The free lunch legislators demanded – more tax revenue with no enforcement accountability, health risks or youth threats – was always a fairy tale. Now that it’s all gone up in smoke, it’s time to get serious about baby safety.

Former Govt. Andrew Cuomo approves marijuana legalization in 2021. His successor, Gov. Cathy Hochul oversaw a slow rollout, with only a handful of licensed pot shots open amid a massive black pot market.

When asked about Bloomberg’s criticism, Hochul spokeswoman Hazel Crampton-Hayes said, “We will work with our partners to enforce the law and explore every possible mechanism available to protect New Yorkers and shut down illegal operators.” Will continue to work with.”

A spokesperson for Mayor Adams’ office responded, “The state has set a process for obtaining legal cannabis dispensary licenses, and we must ensure they are distributed fairly and equitably. But those cutting the line work harder.” Bullies are hurting law-abiding business owners who are following the rules.

“And more than that, they are a threat to the health and well-being of vulnerable young people and all New Yorkers. Since November, the city’s interagency task force has seized millions of dollars in illegal products and fined non-compliant businesses Have issued hundreds of violations.”