Across New York State, raids of unlicensed cannabis retailers have become more ubiquitous than stores licensed to sell it.
These unlicensed retailers have put a gaping hole in the city's balance sheet where elected officials thought tax revenue would be. Whether or not it is fair or moral to sic cops on cannabis business owners who operate in regulatory no-man’s land is a debate for another time. From a policymaking standpoint, the most important question is a narrow one: Will the enforcement actions work?