Watertown smoke shop reopens after state closure over illegal marijuana

WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – Days after the state shut down four smoke shops in Watertown, at least one had reopened.

There was steady traffic going into NYC Smoke Shop on Factory Street on Monday.

Signs saying that illicit cannabis had been seized there were gone.

We spoke with the clerk inside. He said he was new and unaware the place had been closed last week.

He did tell us the business is no longer selling cigarettes. He gave us a phone number for a higher up but no one answered when we called it.

Meanwhile, the lights were on at the Cali Smoke Shop off State Street, and the signs posted by the state were gone.

However, the one person inside said the place was closed and had never reopened since being shut down last week.

He also said he was waiting for a crew to take the inventory away but didn’t know where it would be heading.

Last Wednesday, members of the New York State Office of Cannabis Management’s enforcement task force inspected stores in Watertown and said they seized illegal cannabis at four of them.

They changed the locks at the businesses and posted signs in the shops’ windows saying, “Warning: this business is sealed by order of the Cannabis Control Board.” In bold red letters, it said,” ILLICIT CANNABIS SEIZED.”

Cannabis has been legal in New York state since 2021. However, retailers must be licensed by the state to sell it.

We reached out to the OCM for comment on at least one of the Watertown stores reopening. We’ll update this story when we hear back.

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