New York legalized recreational cannabis consumption in March 2021, but commerce remained prohibited until state regulators could draft laws and grant permits. Refusing to put it on hold, numerous establishments started to sell cannabis right away, often as “gifts” to consumers who made some other transaction.
Now, New York officials announced this week that it had written cease-and-desist notices to over twenty companies, ordering that they promptly stop selling cannabis. Infringers will face “substantial fines and possible criminal penalties,” according to the notices, and may forfeit their ability to apply for a valid permit.
How will this affect New York’s very new cannabis industry? Should unlicensed cannabis companies be guided into the legal market?
Let us know what you think in the comments below and follow for the latest cannabis news
