NY Senate passes bill to crack down on illicit cannabis possession and sales

State senators this week passed a bill that would expand authority for the New York Office of Cannabis Management to seize illicit marijuana and for the state Department of Taxation and Finance to penalize people allegedly selling weed illegally.

The bill also doubles civil penalties for “any person knowingly who possesses ‘illicit cannabis.’

State Sen. Liz Krueger introduced the proposed legislation on Sunday, and lawmakers in the Senate passed it on Wednesday. Krueger’s spokesperson, Justin Flagg, said the bill is meant to empower OCM and Tax and Finance to crack down on illegal marijuana sales, specifically ones that have popped up since last year.

“This bill is aimed at grey market operators such as retail cannabis stores that have emerged during the period after legalization but before licensed businesses begin operating,” Flagg said in an email. Krueger wrote the bill with substantial input from OCM and Tax and Finance, he added, “prompted by the difficulty of enforcement against several illegal cannabis stores that have been hard to shut down under the existing statute.”

A spokesperson from OCM said the office doesn’t comment on pending legislation.

June 2 is the final day of New York’s 2022 legislative session, so if the State Assembly doesn’t pass the bill by midnight, it will be dead until at least the start of the ‘23 legislative session in January, unless a special legislative session is called before that, Flagg said. [Read More @ Syracuse.com]