— the property owner would face $1,000 fines for first offenses and $2,000 for additional offenses.
“We must look all kinds of avenues on how to crack down on the problem – including landlords,” Schulman told The Post. “These [shops] sell to kids. Many operate cash-only … with the state losing revenue, and they also affect legal [weed] businesses who are suffering.” City Councilwoman Lynn Schulman’s bill would fine landlords who knowingly rent to tenants operating unlicensed cannabis dispensaries.There are currently five legal cannabis dispensaries operating in New York City. There are more than 1,500 illegal pot shops.
The bill is gaining bipartisan steam with 20 other Council members co-sponsoring it, and Schulman said she expects it to become law. Mayor Adams and Gov. Hochul have been trying to tackle the widespread problem of illegal pot shops since recreational marijuana use became legal statewide in 2021 by directing crackdowns on sellers, with much less attention paid to landlords.