NY attorney general secures $9.5 million judgment against Canandaigua cannabis shop owner

Canandaigua, N.Y. (WHAM) – A local cannabis shop has been hit with a $9.5 million judgment from New York Attorney General Letitia James, who said the shop sold cannabis without a license and ignored notices to cease operations.

George West operated Jaydega 7.0 on Main Street in Canandaigua. James said West refused to follow the law and ignored warnings to stop selling.

“They just want to go after as much money and as much time as they can get,” West said.

BACKGROUND: Canandaigua smoke shop raided: Hundreds of thousands in illegal cannabis products seized | Canandaigua cannabis shop owner banned for life from selling in New York

A June 2023 order from the Office of Cannabis Management advised West to stop operating without a license. State leaders shut down his business months later and the OCM seized more than 200 pounds of cannabis and products.

The multimillion-dollar judgment requires West to repay more than $1 million of illegal profits that James said he got from selling cannabis without a license. He will also have to pay $8.4 million in penalties for continuing to sell cannabis after the OCM ordered him to stop.

West believes the case never should have made it to court.

“It is a substantial judgment, and it does affect me for stress and anxiety and stuff like that, that it will bring on,” he said. “I always do try to keep positive, even as I have been going through this process for the past few years.”

West said he’s done selling and wants to appeal the judgment.

“I have no idea how they are going to pursue in collections, and I have no idea how the appeal is going to go, but I do hope the appeal will go well,” West said.

Since New York State legalized adult-use cannabis in 2021 more than 1,000 illegal storefronts statewide have had to be shut down. There are currently five legal adult-use cannabis dispensaries in Monroe County, three in Ontario County, and one in Wayne County.