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These local shops are on the list of illegal marijuana shops NY shuttered

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These local shops are on the list of illegal marijuana shops NY shuttered

Three stores in Orange County that were illegally selling cannabis products are among more than 1,000 that have been shut down in a statewide crackdown on illicit and untaxed marijuana sales that began in April.

Since New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation expanding cannabis enforcement powers earlier this year, more than 779 stores selling illicit product have been padlocked in New York City.

The New York State Illicit Cannabis Enforcement Task Force has closed 230 more stores across the rest of the state, including three in the mid-Hudson Valley.

Which illegal cannabis shops closed in mid-Hudson Valley?

In Orange County, the following stores were shuttered:

  • Smilies LLC, 23 Front St., Port Jervis
  • Port Jervis CBD LLC, 78 Front St. #76, Port Jervis
  • Dispensary Bus, 3 Snoop St., Monroe

Hochul said in a statement Wednesday the targeted stores were selling potentially dangerous products, many of which are marketed to children and teens, and siphoning sales from hard-working, licensed store owners.

The shutdowns are “bringing us closer to our goal of building the strongest, most equitable cannabis industry in the nation,” Hochul said.

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On May 21, Hochul launched the Cannabis Enforcement Task Force. Led by a state police first deputy superintendent, the task force works with landlords to evict illegal dispensaries, and works to penalize landlords who fail to take steps to evict tenants after they are informed they are operating illegally.

The state’s commitment to shutting down unlicensed cannabis storefronts has had a direct effect on the legal cannabis industry, state officials said. Since Hochul signed into law the authority to conduct regulatory inspections, the state’s Office of Cannabis Management and Drug Task Force seized over 6,000 pounds of illicit product, valued at $22 million.

That brought the statewide total seized since May 2023 to more than 25,000 pounds of illicit product, worth more than $110 million.

More: Hudson Valley’s first adult-use cannabis dispensary opens in Orange County

Where can you legally buy cannabis in the mid-Hudson Valley?

There currently are 152 legal dispensaries throughout the state, including 15 in the Hudson Valley. They sell cannabis products grown by New York farmers, and tested, packaged and labeled in accordance with the state-regulated system.

There are two licensed shops in Orange County, one in Ulster County and two in Dutchess County.

They are:

  • Curaleaf NY LLC, 8 North Plank Road, Newburgh
  • Orange County Cannabis Co.,1308 Dolsontown Road, Suites 3 and 4, Wawayanda
  • Big Gas Dispensary, 98 North Chestnut St., New Paltz
  • Black Market Canna Co. LLC, 89 Main St., Poughkeepsie
  • Gratitude Buds, 814 state Route 52, Fishkill

Mike Randall covers breaking news for the Times Herald-Record and the Poughkeepsie Journal. Reach him at mrandall@th-record.com.

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