New York City Mayor Eric Adams has told Big Apple residents that they should feel free to buy, sell and consume weed wherever they wish. The Mayor promised not to take a “heavy handed” approach toward those illicitly selling marijuana in the city. After recreational cannabis has been deemed legal, though sales won’t start until later, the Mayor said he sees no need to suppress sales in the interim.
At a cannabis industry expo at the Javits Center in Manhattan, Adams told reporters, “There needs to be a system of not heavy-handedness, but going in and explaining to that store that, ‘Listen, you can’t do this,’ give them a warning.” Instead of arresting or fining weed sellers for illegal sales, Adams wants the City to encourage illicit, AKA legacy sellers, to join the legal market. The Mayor then said, “If someone refuses to get with the program after a warning, some form of enforcement may be warranted.”
“If they refuse to adhere to the rules, then you have to come back and take some form of enforcement actions, such as a summons, such as, you know, talking about their ability to sell alcohol,” Adams said.
Adams, a former police officer, said that he would reinstate NYC’s controversial stop-and-frisk policy though it was declared unconstitutional. In 1999, Blacks and Latinos were about 50% of New York’s population but accounted for 84% of the City’s stops due to suspicion of cannabis possession.
Last week, Adams joked at the NYC Cannabis World Congress and Business event that he was “a bit disappointed” that there wasn’t “a nice scent of weed” in the room. He encouraged everyone in attendance to get high, even though all forms of indoor and most outdoor smoking have been prohibited since 2002, after the City’s 1988 Smoke-Free Air Act.
Adams said, “Enjoy yourself, light up, but most importantly, spend some money. We want your money.”
Featured Image: DepositPhotos © karnauhov
