Mayor Eric Adams And Gov. Kathy Hochul Tout NYC's Efforts To Crack Down On Illegal Cannabis Shops
Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) and NYC Mayor Eric Adams celebrate success of "Operation Padlock To Protect" in shutting down the city's illegal cannabis stores.
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NewsTranscript
00:00:00Ready? Good afternoon. So we're here today to make a very important announcement about public safety and quality of life, but it's actually a little bit more than quality of life.
00:00:11It was about an industry that said that they were not going to listen to the rules, they were not going to be concerned about quality of life, and they were going to peddle this poison to our children.
00:00:24Mayor Adams says, nah, not on my watch.
00:00:27Governor Hoku says, nope, it is not going to happen.
00:00:31So I certainly want to give a thanks to the governor because her partnership with the administration, coming together with Mayor Adams' administration, was actually fantastic.
00:00:41We like to coin it as people talked, they listened, they took action, and now you're going to start to hear the results of what that partnership looked like.
00:00:52So with that today, we're joined by, of course, the mayor of the city of New York, Eric Adams.
00:00:59We're honored to have the governor, the presence of our governor, Governor Hoku, here.
00:01:04You're also going to hear from the sheriff of the city of New York, Anthony Miranda.
00:01:08You will also hear from Assemblymember Jennifer Rajkumar.
00:01:12I believe that we will have the Bronx Borough President, Vanessa Gibson, here.
00:01:17Councilmember Eric Dinowitz is here as well.
00:01:20I believe I saw Councilmember Gail Brewer here as well.
00:01:23And certainly, the Chief of the Department for the NYPD, Jeff Madry, is here.
00:01:28And our Commissioner Cass Daughtry.
00:01:32With that, I'd like to introduce the mayor of the city of New York, Mayor Eric Adams.
00:01:35Thanks so much, Dan, for just the job that we're doing around this issue.
00:01:49And you're right, this is probably one of the greatest examples of government coordination and operation.
00:01:57Something that started out when Councilwoman Brewer started to see in these shops opening in her district.
00:02:08She reached out and then other electors started to observe the same things in their districts.
00:02:15And we realized that we did not want to go backwards and criminalize the actions of having small quantities of marijuana.
00:02:23But we knew that these locations were becoming not only eyesores,
00:02:28but they became really focal points for criminal behavior.
00:02:33And the team sat down with the governor and
00:02:36started laying out what our observations are and what the missing pieces were.
00:02:41And we were able to make real headways.
00:02:44And I think that we caught this at the right time.
00:02:48Because as you look at what's happening in the industry,
00:02:52there's a clear switch to really start focusing on our children.
00:02:58When you look at some of the products that are familiar to young people to attract their attention.
00:03:05And even using something as a video game and
00:03:09inside it is containing cannabis type products.
00:03:14It says it all.
00:03:16This is a clear focus of building a generation that will
00:03:21be really attracted to illegal cannabis.
00:03:27And when you look at the colors, they really define the scope of this problem.
00:03:34What this team has done, state lawmakers, and what the city is doing now.
00:03:42When you do the math, the governor was just sharing with me,
00:03:47that when you look at the 750 locations that Sheriff Miranda and
00:03:52his team closed down with the operations of the New York City Police Department.
00:03:57And the 250 that were closed down in the state, we're talking about 1,000
00:04:02locations that will no longer terrorize our communities.
00:04:06We saw a shooting a few days ago, three people shot.
00:04:10They were standing where?
00:04:12In front of an illegal cannabis shop.
00:04:14And so when you understand the scope of this problem and
00:04:19how it became a feeder for many of the criminal behaviors that we were seeing.
00:04:25Because they're a cash only business, so we saw the robberies, we saw the shootings.
00:04:30We saw just the erosion of quality of life inside some of our communities, that the communities had enough.
00:04:37They were fed up.
00:04:38They knew that something had to be done.
00:04:41And that's what we did.
00:04:43We got stuff done for the people of this city.
00:04:45And it was a combination.
00:04:47And one aspect of it was the clarion voice of the ever-present Assemblywoman Jennifer Rajkumar,
00:04:53who clearly talked about it over and over again at every town hall, every community meeting.
00:04:58She was talking about the Smoke Out Act.
00:05:01She was talking about how we needed to close down these shops.
00:05:05We cannot thank her enough, and I'm going to continue to lift up how,
00:05:10when we have lawmakers that hear, respond, and execute, it's important.
00:05:14And that is what we're doing today.
00:05:16Just look at this.
00:05:18D.M. Banks, Commissioner Daughtry, and the team, we were in the Bronx two weeks ago at an illegal social club.
00:05:26And not only did we find millions of dollars in illegal cannabis, mushrooms, and vape products.
00:05:33But we also found a shotgun.
00:05:35And when we drilled down on it, we saw that there were 71 calls, 311 calls for that location.
00:05:43So these places are becoming just disruptors in the quality of life of New Yorkers.
00:05:51And then a few days earlier than that, we went to and discovered in a local deli,
00:05:58the sheriff's team went in and they found in the back room millions of dollars of illegal supplies and items there as well.
00:06:08So Operation Padlock to Protect is just that.
00:06:11We must padlock these places to protect the people of the city and
00:06:17send a clear message that you are not going to peddle your illegal items on our community residents.
00:06:26And destroy the legal market.
00:06:29When we started the operation that included what the governor figured out,
00:06:35the deputizing of police officers to help the sheriffs,
00:06:40we saw the legal market start to increase in their profits.
00:06:47Those who are paying taxes, those who are hiring people legally, those who have a regulated product and
00:06:53not a product that's laced with all sorts of illegal items, people did not know what they were getting.
00:06:59To the contrary, the legal markets are doing just the opposite.
00:07:03They're making sure that the product is well tested, is legal, is regulated, and they're hiring and they're paying their tax dollars.
00:07:12So kudos to the team, Commissioner Caban, for sending a clear message to the men and
00:07:17women of the police department that they will be fully engaged in this operation even after closing the sites.
00:07:23To going back and making sure that they remain closed.
00:07:28Thank you to the sheriff, Sheriff Miranda, who has taken on this assignment with a passion because he understands the seriousness of this moment.
00:07:36And our commissioner of DCWP, Commissioner Meruga, and her entire team and what they're carrying out.
00:07:44And we just cannot, again, thank the lawmakers for
00:07:47giving us the tools to do the job that we knew had to be done.
00:07:52And we're making good on our promise to shut down these illegal storefronts.
00:07:58There are many layers to it on how we can actually get it done, but we are doing just that.
00:08:04These products are in place to destroy and
00:08:08to prevent our communities from continuing to thrive and grow as we have stated before.
00:08:15And the numbers don't lie.
00:08:17We seized over $41 million in illegal products and
00:08:23issued over $65 million in penalties.
00:08:28In just this month, we are seeing some of the impact of taking action.
00:08:34We've taken a combined $8 million of illegal products off our city streets just this month.
00:08:40This is a big deal because it's not only the dollars amount attached to these products,
00:08:46but it's the dangers that these products can do to our communities.
00:08:50And for too long, these illegal shops have contributed to a feeling that any and everything goes.
00:08:56And any and everything won't go in this city.
00:08:59We will abide by the law and we're going to live up to our focus on protecting the people of the city.
00:09:07And ensuring those legalized shops are able to thrive in a real way.
00:09:12Legal cannabis is a budding industry and offers a once in a generation chance for
00:09:16those disproportionately impacted by the so-called war on drugs.
00:09:21We want them to be part of this industry and able to participate in the prosperity that comes from it.
00:09:27Particularly black and brown communities, the numbers were clear on how many young people were impacted by the war on drugs.
00:09:35And so we're proud to be here today getting the black garbage bags off our streets and
00:09:41taking on other elements of making our city safer, of ensuring that we return our economy.
00:09:47We could not do what we do if we didn't have a real leader of the state.
00:09:52And when you add our numbers together, the 250 plus the 750, that 1,000 is just a unifying approach in the style of our governance.
00:10:00On how we believe we have one leader in the state, we have one state that New York City's a part of.
00:10:06And the coordination that you've witnessed between this governor and this mayor is unprecedented.
00:10:12We know if we come together, there's no problem we can't solve in this state.
00:10:16And so I'm proud to have as a leader of the state of New York and
00:10:21that assisted us to make these inroads, I'm proud to introduce the governor of the state of New York, Governor Kathy Hochul.
00:10:38We're here today to talk about a real success story.
00:10:42One that just six months ago, people would not have thought was possible.
00:10:47And how we're finally, finally shutting down the illegal cannabis shops that have taunted us,
00:10:53taunted our neighborhoods, and finally bringing back vitality to our neighborhoods.
00:10:58And I want to thank the people who helped us get here.
00:11:01And yes, I've known Gail Brewer for over a decade.
00:11:05I don't know that we've had a conversation the last two years without her bringing up, you've got to shut down the cannabis shops.
00:11:11And so your tenacity has helped bring us to this point.
00:11:14And the beauty is, you have a mayor who listens, who understands the power of the office of mayor
00:11:21to put a spotlight on an issue and say, this is a challenge, it's tough,
00:11:26it's not easy, but I'm going to run into the fire and solve this.
00:11:29So that is the kind of partnership I so appreciate, but also having a legislature that is responsive.
00:11:36Assemblymember Rajkumar, thank you for being a champion on this issue.
00:11:40Assemblymember Dinowitz, thank you, thank you, thank you.
00:11:43I was just with our leaders yesterday, Carl Heastie, who had hoped to be here, but he's up in other parts of the state right now.
00:11:50We spoke about this and how important this is to continue this effort.
00:11:54Because these criminals are very clever, right?
00:11:58It's whack-a-mole.
00:11:59They were playing whack-a-mole for a long time because the city did not have the power to put on a padlock that would stay on.
00:12:07It became a game.
00:12:09They thought they were winning.
00:12:11And guess what?
00:12:12They lost.
00:12:13And so I want to thank everyone, especially our sheriff as well.
00:12:17It's a lot more responsibility on your shoulders and to all the members of the deputies and
00:12:22everybody who are at this working in the streets with heart and soul knowing how important it is
00:12:28to stop this industry because it is perilous for our neighborhoods.
00:12:32It is perilous for our children.
00:12:34So Sheriff Brennan, I want to thank you for everything you've done as well.
00:12:38Let me throw some numbers at you as well, and I'll get up to the big thousand number because I love that one as well, Mayor.
00:12:43Six, that's how many months ago it was that I raised this in my State of the State address last January.
00:12:50And we knew we had a tough road ahead.
00:12:53But everything I put in my State of the State has a tough road ahead.
00:12:56But it's whether you're going to stick with it and get it done is the big question.
00:13:01I said we need to empower localities.
00:13:04We needed to give the power from the state to the localities to do what they should have had all along, in my opinion.
00:13:09But they needed to get it from the state.
00:13:12It's been four months since we signed this into law with great fanfare.
00:13:16Many of you were at that as well.
00:13:18And again, that thousand number, I'm really proud of that.
00:13:22That's just in a few months.
00:13:24That's not since the beginning.
00:13:25It's since we've been able to allow sheriffs and local police officers and the NYPD and
00:13:31state police working together on a task force that we started to be able to go up and go to these nuisance stores.
00:13:37And finally, they're all going up in smoke.
00:13:3963 million is the collective total of all the product we've seen, city and state combined.
00:13:45And now, because we took down these illegal competitors,
00:13:50we now have 152 legal dispensaries across the state, and that is growing by the week.
00:13:57$312 million, sales done by those dispensaries just in the last few months.
00:14:02And that was last year, we only collected 160 million, an entire year.
00:14:08Right now, see the difference?
00:14:10Six months into this, 312 million from the legal dispensaries.
00:14:15So there's so much hope behind those numbers.
00:14:18People believe that we're turning the corner, making progress, doing something that we had all dreamed would happen.
00:14:24But also, it's about keeping our kids safe.
00:14:27I mean, let me point out again what the mayor showed you.
00:14:33I want parents to see this, because if you see this in your house,
00:14:38it's disguised to look like one of your child's toys, something that you'd expect to see.
00:14:43And the older teenagers might bring it to the house and think nobody's going to notice this.
00:14:47This is an attractive nuisance, as we would say in law school.
00:14:50This is intentionally designed to draw the eye in the interest of our children,
00:14:56creating lifelong addictions to products that they never should have had at such a young age when it has an effect on them.
00:15:02This is why we're proud, not just as government leaders, but as parents, saying no more.
00:15:08So again, thank you for all you're doing, shutting this down for our kids.
00:15:11There's also contaminated products.
00:15:14We're talking about so many overdose deaths.
00:15:17These illegal products have fentanyl and are laced with other products.
00:15:22They're not pure.
00:15:23They're unsafe.
00:15:24They could kill you.
00:15:26And people don't realize that as either.
00:15:28So what we're doing here today, giving the green light so our legal industry can go even higher.
00:15:34And rapidly building what is planned to be and
00:15:38will be the most expansive and equitable legal cannabis industry in the nation.
00:15:44I know it's a little tough, the rollout.
00:15:46I understand that.
00:15:47We have new leadership at the Office of Cannabis Management, Director Felicia Reed.
00:15:52And there's new reforms that are underway to speed up the process,
00:15:56unclog the licensing bottleneck, and streamline the application process.
00:16:02That, coupled with the enhanced enforcement, is critical.
00:16:07And stopping the undermining of the legal market as well.
00:16:11So look at these products, know that now their lifespans are over.
00:16:15You see the product expiration date?
00:16:17Date is expired today.
00:16:19So we're getting them off the streets.
00:16:21But also, we're starting to bring back the legal tax revenue that is
00:16:26intentionally channeled to go back to the communities that were over police, over in prosecution,
00:16:31and over incarceration when marijuana was not a legal substance here.
00:16:35So we want those communities to be reinvested in to undo the harms of the past.
00:16:41But let's continue to do this.
00:16:44And I also want to thank those who never gave up, all the legal owners who are just getting swamped.
00:16:49I remember visiting one in the Bronx just not that long ago.
00:16:52He says, I'm trying my best, doing my very best.
00:16:56And I can't open because everybody's going to the legal ones just down the block.
00:17:00They don't know the difference.
00:17:02And yet, when I went back and visited him, he told me their sales are now up 100% because of what we did.
00:17:10That's what we've been trying to do.
00:17:11Unlock the power that has been waiting, and now it's finally happening as well.
00:17:17So you look at people, Osbert Arduina.
00:17:23Sorry to mangle your name, he's at all my events.
00:17:26When he opened his dispensary, Cannabis Place in Queens, he was surrounded by the illegal shops.
00:17:31He said, those are now gone as well.
00:17:33His sales are up 105%.
00:17:36What is he doing with that money?
00:17:38He's investing in the community.
00:17:40He's hiring new staff.
00:17:41He just added five more people to his payroll.
00:17:44That's how you start small businesses and get it moving again.
00:17:48Another woman said her sales are up 3,000%.
00:17:52She's sold more than $500,000 worth of goods, whereas the year before she sold almost nothing.
00:17:58So, I'm excited about this.
00:18:02I know that one year from now when we look back, we'll have eradicated this industry.
00:18:07We'll have continued the progress that we're on.
00:18:09And to all of you who never gave up believing that we could get this done, we got it done.
00:18:16We're on the way to ensuring that this is going to be the fairest, most equitable industry.
00:18:20The money's coming, and we're going to stop the illegal actors from harming our kids.
00:18:24All of you, thank you from the bottom of my heart.
00:18:26Mayor, let's continue to partner on this and so many more initiatives, because working together, the people get things done.
00:18:33So thank you very much, everyone.
00:18:40Governor, thank you.
00:18:42Certainly like to acknowledge the presence of Assemblymember Jeff Dinowitz.
00:18:47We have the father-son team, so we know we can't lose, so thank you.
00:18:50With that, we will now hear from the Sheriff of the City of New York, Anthony Miranda.
00:18:55It's always good to be here, and I want to start by, again,
00:18:59thanking the mayor and the governor and the legislators that made this possible for the enforcement.
00:19:05Just so we're clear, New York City started enforcement in three months,
00:19:10and we have conducted close to 3,000 inspections in the city of New York.
00:19:15We have issued close to 900 cease and desist orders,
00:19:20and over 700 sealing orders at these locations.
00:19:27As we find and continue to do investigations, we will continue to find that these new products are being out there that are targeting our children.
00:19:34And the clear message is for everyone, both the adult and the child, the children should never be using this product.
00:19:39But what you are smoking is not cannabis.
00:19:42These products are contaminated.
00:19:43They're being sprayed with chemicals.
00:19:44And what you are smoking and getting high from are the chemicals, which has a different health impact on everyone using the product.
00:19:50Anybody, the partnership that we have, the greatest partnership, comes from the community.
00:19:55Your complaints are being heard, and we want you to continue calling the police department, 311, the sheriff's office.
00:20:01We respond to those complaints, and you are the first ones to know who's invading our neighborhoods with these illegal products.
00:20:07So your partnership is extremely important to the success of this operation.
00:20:11I also want to thank the members of the task force, the New York City Police Department,
00:20:15the Department of Consumer Worker Protection, and the men and women of the sheriff's office,
00:20:19for the hard work that they all do collectively that we get the results that we have today.
00:20:23And it is a collective operation.
00:20:25It was the mandate of the mayor that said that this is a problem of the city, not a problem of a particular agency,
00:20:30and mandated that all the agencies are working collectively like never before to be able to solve the problem,
00:20:36and thus we have the results that you have today that we're speaking of.
00:20:40So I'm going to switch over for a second and say.
00:20:42We're going to start in Spanish.
00:21:12This is part of the message that we have here.
00:21:14What you're selling, you're selling to our children, and it's dangerous to our communities.
00:21:19So if you're seeing this, and you're seeing that children are entering these places,
00:21:24we must report it immediately to us so that we can do the necessary investigation.
00:21:29We thank the community for everything they have done for us,
00:21:33giving us the information and the cooperation that we have working together.
00:21:37No podemos hacer este trabajo sin su poder y su apoyo.
00:21:41So damos las gracias a todos ustedes.
00:21:43Thank you very much.
00:21:50Thank you, Sheriff.
00:21:52Next, we are going to hear from the Police Commissioner of the City of New York, Police Commissioner Cabana.
00:22:03Thank you very much, DM.
00:22:05Thank you, Governor Hochul, Mayor Adams, Sheriff Miranda, and everyone else that's here joining us today.
00:22:10What you're seeing here is a result of continued collaboration between the NYPD, the Sheriff's Office, and so many others.
00:22:18Our partnerships always work toward one common goal, public safety.
00:22:23And the shutting down of these illegal cannabis shops gets us closer to that goal.
00:22:27The safety of our communities, especially our young people, remains our top priority.
00:22:34So throughout the process, as legal shops began to open, we made it clear that it must be done the right way.
00:22:42We were also clear that if it wasn't done the right way, for whatever reasons, there would be consequences.
00:22:50Because in order for a system to function, it must work within the law.
00:22:55So the NYPD, along with the Sheriff's Office and so many others, made sure that it did.
00:23:02And we're going to make sure that we're out there every day.
00:23:05Since Operation Padlock to Protect began the first week of May,
00:23:09the operation has shut down over 750 smoke shops and seized nearly 12,000 pounds of illegal cannabis.
00:23:18And the next step is sending all these contraband to be destroyed.
00:23:23But we're not stopping what's in this warehouse right now.
00:23:27We will continue seizing these illegal products and shutting down unlicensed shops whenever and wherever they pop up.
00:23:35We have a responsibility to the people in this community.
00:23:38And we have a responsibility to the legal shop owners across our city.
00:23:43They're the ones who have done the right thing, gone through the process correctly, and followed the law.
00:23:50And their businesses shouldn't suffer because others are cheating the system and putting people at risk.
00:23:57This industry is only going to expand over time.
00:24:00So it's absolutely critical that regulations are enforced, that people follow the laws,
00:24:06and that we keep these products out of the hands of our children.
00:24:10Again, this operation is about one thing, public safety.
00:24:16That outweighs everything else, in every case, all the time.
00:24:21So today's message is crystal clear.
00:24:24If you operate an illegal smoke shop in New York City, we will shut it down.
00:24:30We will seize the product in your shop, and we will destroy it.
00:24:34We will always do everything we can to keep our community safe.
00:24:38And this work is an important part of our continued collaboration.
00:24:44There's a saying that says that you'd be surprised how much you can accomplish if no one was concerned who's gotten the credit.
00:24:53I would say my weekly calls with the mayor, but they're more like my hourly calls with the mayor.
00:24:57He stresses that all the time.
00:24:59We have to break down these silos.
00:25:00We have to work together as one team, as one city.
00:25:03And you're seeing now just a small example, but a lot more to come.
00:25:07We're going to be making some announcements about the mayor's taking these agencies and working together.
00:25:11But that teamwork includes the elected officials as well, who have been great, great partners.
00:25:15So we're going to hear from some now.
00:25:16We're going to start with Assemblymember Jennifer Roskamar, who's been a great, great partner.
00:25:20And welcome.
00:25:28Well, good morning.
00:25:30On the very first day of this year's legislative session, I pledged that I was going to help close down all 36,000 illegal smoke shops that have been ballooning across our state.
00:25:44As we all know, these illegal smoke shops are hotbeds of criminal activity.
00:25:49They endanger our children by popping up near schools.
00:25:52And they are selling dangerous, unregulated cannabis.
00:25:57You simply do not know what you're getting.
00:25:59And as has been said, they harm the legal cannabis market, costing us millions in taxpayer dollars.
00:26:07So I said we need to smoke them out and shut them down.
00:26:11And so I authored the legendary Smoke Out Act, which passed in our state budget, so we can now smoke them all out and shut them down.
00:26:22And when I introduced the Smoke Out Act, I said we're going to smoke them out and padlock them so that they can never reopen.
00:26:29And my Smoke Out Act gave power to all municipalities across this state to close down the illegal smoke shops on their own.
00:26:39So they would no longer have to wait for the state to give them power to do so.
00:26:44And I was so proud to be able to help bring this power to New York City.
00:26:50And so now our great mayor and our great governor are using this new power to shut down all the illegal cannabis stores.
00:26:58So can we all give a round of applause to our two great executives who are getting the job done?
00:27:06This is really an example of government working for the people.
00:27:09And the passage of the Smoke Out Act was not just our victory.
00:27:13It was a victory for public safety, for common sense, and for the health of our children.
00:27:20This was one instance where Albany listened to the people.
00:27:25The people spoke, and Albany listened.
00:27:28So this year I launched Operation Smoke Out, which brought together New Yorkers across all five boroughs with the common cause of shutting down these shops.
00:27:39And I would like to thank all of the people of this city for taking a stand for what was right.
00:27:45It was an inspiration.
00:27:48And I was honored to stand with the people for public safety and for public health, no matter how hard it was or how powerful the interests were that we were up against.
00:27:59That's what you elected all of us for, to stand up for what was right.
00:28:03And I'm honored to do that every day with my incredible partners.
00:28:06First of all, the great State Assemblyman Jeff Dinowitz, who is a partner on so many issues, along with the Dinowitz team, the young Eric Dinowitz.
00:28:17Of course, Gail Brewer came to Times Square, where together we were a part of this Operation Smoke Out.
00:28:26And of course, the incredible borough president that I'm honored to work with now every day, it feels like, on this task.
00:28:34So Operation Smoke Out has now become the mayor's Operation Padlock and Protect.
00:28:40And I just want to commend and thank the mayor, the incredible sheriff, Anthony Miranda, who's unstoppable on this issue, the incredible police commissioner, Eddie Caban.
00:28:51In just two months since we passed this Smoke Out Act in the state budget, they've been able to close now over 700 illegal shops.
00:29:01They've closed down so many, there's not enough room for all the illegal cannabis.
00:29:05We don't know where to put it.
00:29:07So this is an example of government working for the people.
00:29:10Together, we are smoking them out, and we're shutting them down for good.
00:29:14Thank you so much.
00:29:16Thank you, Assemblyperson.
00:29:21Next, we're going to hear from the Bronx Borough President, President Vanessa Gibson.
00:29:26I'm not?
00:29:31Okay.
00:29:32I'm still going to be brief.
00:29:33I'll be bold, and then I'll be gone.
00:29:34Good morning, everyone.
00:29:36Thank you so much for being here for such an important announcement.
00:29:40I am Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson, and on behalf of the entire borough of the Bronx, 1.4 million residents that live and work and raise their families in this great borough, we are thankful for this incredible collaboration Operation Padlock to Protect.
00:29:59Thank you to Governor Kathy Hochul, to Mayor Eric Adams, to Police Commissioner Eddie Caban, to our NYC Sheriff Anthony Miranda, and all of the elected officials, Assemblywoman Jennifer Rashkuma, Assemblyman Jeff Dinowitz, Councilmember Eric Dinowitz, Councilmember Gail Brewer, and all of my colleagues in the Bronx delegation, the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, and everyone that has assembled to make sure that all New Yorkers are safe.
00:30:27I supported the legalization of cannabis, because I recognize the inequity that it caused for generations of African American and Latino Americans in this state.
00:30:37We are righting a wrong by legalizing cannabis, but we also have to make sure that there's a balance in this process.
00:30:44And for all of the legal providers in the industry that follow the rules, that pay taxes, that provide jobs, that stimulate the economy, it is unacceptable that we've seen this eruption of unlicensed and illegal operators throughout the state of New York.
00:31:00The fact that in several months, 750 plus illegal cannabis smoke shops have been shut down is a testament to this collaboration.
00:31:13The fact that we are aligned together to ensure that New Yorkers get better.
00:31:18This has been disruptive to their quality of life.
00:31:21It has threatened our small businesses.
00:31:23And I want to not only acknowledge all of the stakeholders from our merchants associations, our business leaders, our bids, so many of you that came forward because you live in our communities and you see this illegal activity every single day.
00:31:41We're here to tell you that that is not acceptable.
00:31:44And as long as you operate illegally in this county and in this state, we are going to shut you down.
00:31:52It is unacceptable that we've seen so many in our neighborhoods, across our commercial corridors, and we want to make sure that we show New Yorkers better.
00:32:02Operation Padlock to Protect is to protect the fabric of what the legalization of cannabis was all about.
00:32:10To protect our quality of life, our public health, and our public safety.
00:32:14The fact that these cannabis products are so driven to attract children with childlike wrappers and all these different flavors that I see is unacceptable.
00:32:27We cannot allow our children to be exposed to illegal cannabis in this way.
00:32:32Untested, unregulated, and not monitored in a standardized way.
00:32:38So I want to say thank you everyone.
00:32:40I've been able to join our mayor and our police commissioner and so many others, our sheriff, at two of the takedowns that we've had right here in the Bronx.
00:32:50Millions of dollars of illegal cannabis products that were confiscated at a family deli.
00:32:57The nerve of family deli and nothing about family.
00:33:02And down in Mott Haven.
00:33:03So all credit to the residents in Throgs Neck and Mott Haven and all over the Bronx that have come forward with these complaints.
00:33:11Continue to call 311.
00:33:13Continue to call your elected officials.
00:33:15Call your community board.
00:33:17Make sure that your voices are heard.
00:33:20Because until we see that there are no more unlicensed and illegal operators, guess what?
00:33:27Our work must continue.
00:33:30So again, my gratitude and deep appreciation to everyone assembled to this incredible partnership that has aligned together to keep New Yorkers safe.
00:33:39To protect our businesses.
00:33:41And also I want to recognize our Bronx District Attorney, Darcell Clark, who could not be here today.
00:33:47But certainly aligns and stands with us as a real partner in this work.
00:33:52To protect New York families, our businesses, and make sure that we preserve the sanctity of legalized cannabis in the state of New York.
00:34:01Again, thank you, Governor.
00:34:02Thank you, Mayor.
00:34:03You're always welcome in the Bronx for these announcements.
00:34:06Because we're going to continue to demonstrate to our Bronx residents that we mean business.
00:34:13Thank you so much.
00:34:14Thank you, Deputy Mayor.
00:34:19Thank you, BP.
00:34:20Next, we're going to hear from Councilmember Dinowitz.
00:34:28The rule in politics is you don't follow Vanessa Gibson.
00:34:31And I've broken that rule.
00:34:33Good morning, everyone.
00:34:34I'm Councilmember Eric Dinowitz.
00:34:36I represent this area of Wakefield and all of District 11.
00:34:39And it really is a good morning.
00:34:44A few months ago, before the passage of Assemblymember Rajkumar's Smokeout Act, I had the opportunity to go with the sheriff to raid some of the smoke shops.
00:34:55And I was astounded by a few things.
00:34:59One has been said, the way these products target children.
00:35:04And not just the products, but if you see the awnings, the images in the windows, they are designed to lure children in.
00:35:11And then you have pop rocks, which is not typically spelled with a Z.
00:35:16Colors, they mean crayons.
00:35:19They are designed to attract children.
00:35:22As a former teacher, I fear what is going on now in school with children bringing in, knowingly or unknowingly, bringing in these products to use in school, which as has been spoken about, is very dangerous.
00:35:36And I was also astounded to see that 70% of the cigarettes sold in New York City are untaxed.
00:35:43And these illegal cannabis shops are selling illegal, untaxed cigarettes, which is also costing our city more in taxpayer revenue.
00:35:51This bill, this act, these actions are a game changer.
00:35:57Our constituents, they ask a lot of us.
00:36:00They ask a lot of us, but they are all rooted in mainly the same things.
00:36:04They want a government that is responsive so people can be safe and have a good quality of life.
00:36:11And with the Padlock to Protect operation, we are doing just that.
00:36:18But this is only possible when government works together.
00:36:22So I really want to give it up to Mayor Adams, to Governor Hochul, to Assemblymember Raj Kumar, Assemblyman Dinowitz, Councilmember Brewer, and Borough President Gibson.
00:36:33Because when we work together as government, we can do what our constituents ask of us.
00:36:39We can keep them safe.
00:36:41We can improve their quality of life.
00:36:44And this, maybe more than many other issues we face, is exactly what government is doing and should do, and that is to be responsive to the needs of our constituents.
00:36:54I look forward to more of the shops in District 11 and throughout the Bronx and the city being shut down.
00:36:59Because we cannot just incentivize the right behavior by legalizing cannabis.
00:37:05We cannot just incentivize, we have to disincentivize the wrong behavior.
00:37:10And the wrong behavior is selling illegal cannabis, illegal and dangerous products here in our city.
00:37:18And with this disincentive, with the law on our side now, and with the work being done by our mayor and by the governor, we will do just that.
00:37:33Thank you, Councilmember.
00:37:34Next, we're going to hear from Councilmember Gabriel.
00:37:46Thank you, Deputy Mayor.
00:37:47And I'm not always thanking people.
00:37:49You know how I am.
00:37:50But I certainly want to thank the mayor.
00:37:52I want to thank the governor.
00:37:53I want to thank the sheriff, the PD.
00:37:56Consumer Affairs has been awesome.
00:37:58And so has Oath, an agency that has to deal with the outcomes of this effort.
00:38:03So just this past weekend, I was at a Night Chef Family Day.
00:38:07Us, who are elected officials, go to the mall.
00:38:09And guess who sponsored most of it?
00:38:11It was the most wonderful legal cannabis shop in the neighborhood.
00:38:15The gentleman who runs it is phenomenal.
00:38:17And I went to the opening, and I remember, there's a fancy building next door.
00:38:21I always have stories.
00:38:22And, of course, people were bitching and carrying on about, you know, this is going to be terrible next door.
00:38:27That whole goddamn shop was full of residents from the fancy building next door.
00:38:33I pointed that out to the woman who was bitching and carrying on to me.
00:38:37The people who, I want to be really honest, the people who own because they've gone through a process are phenomenal.
00:38:43They're really decent, lovely, good shopkeepers.
00:38:47So it was October 23.
00:38:49I always have a lot of interns.
00:38:51I sent them out.
00:38:52We found 63 illegal shops between 54th and 108th Street.
00:38:57That's a lot.
00:38:58And then, thanks to the sheriff, we did some raids early.
00:39:03Zaza Waza.
00:39:04People call me Zaza Waza, not Gail Brewer.
00:39:07And this particular shop, we raided with the wonderful sheriff.
00:39:12And, of course, they opened up the next day.
00:39:14But then along came a consumer because in April of this year, it turned out that this shop, just like all the others, was selling illegal tobacco.
00:39:24This was before the law.
00:39:25So we went after the illegal tobacco.
00:39:27They already had a gazillion summonses from the sheriff and from cannabis from the consumer.
00:39:34Long story short, we closed it because with the help of the 2-4 precinct, we put a padlock on.
00:39:41Those sons of bitches broke the padlock that night.
00:39:44And the next morning when we went there, the damn thing was open.
00:39:47So we called the police again.
00:39:48We called the folks from the consumer.
00:39:52And they closed it again with big, huge padlocks, about this big.
00:39:57They paid their fine.
00:39:58But guess what?
00:40:00They decided to open again and have illegal tobacco.
00:40:04I couldn't believe it.
00:40:05So this time, we closed them forever.
00:40:08The fact that this law has passed has made a huge difference.
00:40:12I know that the statistic is probably higher, but a few months ago, it was 27% increase, business for the legal shops.
00:40:19And, you know, maybe it took a long time to get the legal shops going, but they are really fabulous.
00:40:24The owners are fabulous.
00:40:25The product is fabulous.
00:40:27And the outreach to the community is fabulous.
00:40:30So it's really a win-win.
00:40:32And people want to go.
00:40:33Nurses.
00:40:34You should see who you, you know, understandably see in the shop, people who want the product.
00:40:38So it's a really great thing.
00:40:41We just have to keep working.
00:40:42I want to thank Oath for, you know, quickly stepping up when they had not a lot of staff to do this.
00:40:48But these shops need to pay their fines.
00:40:50They're not all paying their fines.
00:40:52There's a lot of money left on the table.
00:40:55And somebody who got the IBO to look at ways that the city should be collecting more money, this is another place where we need to collect more money.
00:41:03I have nothing but accolades to say thank you to all the agencies involved.
00:41:09As we heard earlier, children see the cartoons and they think it's for them.
00:41:15Parents were the first to call me.
00:41:17And then one day I had a principal call me crying on the phone because he had vaping in the classroom.
00:41:24And he had never seen that before.
00:41:26And that really upset me.
00:41:28So this is an effort that is needed.
00:41:32It's going the right way.
00:41:33And we just have to keep moving in that direction.
00:41:35Thank you to everybody involved.
00:41:43Thank you, Council Member.
00:41:44And now we will hear I think our last speaker will be Assemblymember Dinowitz.
00:41:56Good afternoon, everybody.
00:41:57I'm Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz.
00:41:58And, yes, I am the last speaker.
00:42:00So that's a big deal.
00:42:02So this is my district.
00:42:04And you cannot get farther north in the Bronx than where we are now.
00:42:09We're the part of the Bronx that kind of sticks up into Mount Vernon.
00:42:13And, mayor, we really need this place air-conditioned.
00:42:18So we get tons and tons of calls in my office, like all of us do.
00:42:23If there are two things that we get by far the most complaints about, one are the mopeds, electric bikes,
00:42:31all the things where people are driving haphazardly against traffic, and it's been terrible.
00:42:38And the second is this.
00:42:40And what do they have in common?
00:42:41It's all about quality of life.
00:42:44There's a sense that many people have that things are out of control.
00:42:49Now, we know so many things are getting better in this city.
00:42:51Crime is going down.
00:42:52But when people see these shops, when people are almost run over by a moped,
00:42:56they feel that the quality of life is being threatened.
00:43:00And that is why this is so important.
00:43:03And I just want to say thank you to the mayor, to the governor, the sheriff, the commissioner,
00:43:07and everybody else who is part of enforcing the law, the law that we passed in the legislature and was signed by the governor.
00:43:17This is making a difference.
00:43:18This is when government works together collaboratively.
00:43:21The city, the state, the legislature, the executive, all working together.
00:43:26It has an impact on the quality of life.
00:43:29Like everybody else, like my colleagues, I went on a couple of raids with the sheriff several months ago.
00:43:35And call me naive, but I could not believe some of the stuff I was seeing there.
00:43:41We walked into the first place.
00:43:43I see some guys sitting around, and it took me a few minutes to notice that he was in handcuffs.
00:43:49But what they did is they went into the back room.
00:43:53We saw they pulled down a full ceiling, and there were tons of unstamped cigarettes there.
00:43:59Then they have all these display cases, but they had false backs, and behind it were other illegal products.
00:44:06Then, of course, you had the flavored vape products.
00:44:10And then they were selling things where they had false bottoms.
00:44:14You unscrew it, and that's where people hide things.
00:44:17You know, what do I know about that stuff?
00:44:19But now I know about that stuff.
00:44:21There is such a thriving industry of bad stuff going on.
00:44:25So we are finally able to fight this and fight it.
00:44:30I mean, it's been successful so far, but I think we've scratched the surface.
00:44:34We've got to put the bad guys out of business, and the good guys have to be able to thrive.
00:44:40They have to be able to do what our law that we passed in the state intended to do.
00:44:45So I'm just so grateful that we're here today to recognize that in just a few short months, we've made a huge dent, a huge impact.
00:44:54People are starting to notice, and we've just got to keep going until we are finished, until we complete this job.
00:44:59So again, thank you, thank you.
00:45:01It really makes a difference in the lives of our constituents.
00:45:08Thank you, Assemblymember.
00:45:09Now we're going to go to question and answer.
00:45:11We welcome elected officials who wish to join the mayor and members of the administration up for Q&A.
00:45:21We should be clear that 80% of what's stored here is illegal cannabis and cannabis-type products.
00:45:31So not just what we see here, all of these bins that you see here that has sheriffs,
00:45:38these are illegal products that is going to be destroyed based on the rules and regulations of destruction.
00:45:47So what's here is on display to show you the colorful approaches.
00:45:52But all of these products that you see on these shelves and
00:45:56these bins are a part of what has been captured and
00:46:01retrieved and confiscated by the sheriff, the police department, and their entire team.
00:46:08Come on up here, Lieutenant.
00:46:11This is who you see on the ground.
00:46:13Everybody gets all the support, but this lieutenant is amazing.
00:46:18She's out all times of the night.
00:46:22She's in the streets just doing the job.
00:46:25Every time, 2, 3 AM in the morning, she's out there making sure it's being done right.
00:46:29So I want to make sure you get your light.
00:46:32Go on, ask a couple of questions.
00:46:36Yeah, Mr. Mayor.
00:46:37How are you?
00:46:38All right, how are you doing?
00:46:39Great.
00:46:40Great.
00:46:41Two questions, actually.
00:46:42Number one, do you think, or is there any investigation into whether there's an organized crime component to all of these shops?
00:46:49And number two, many people here have mentioned, you know,
00:46:54kids using these products or buying them.
00:46:57And you mentioned a couple weeks ago your concern about kids getting high in school.
00:47:03So how are you addressing that, being that school is starting in a month?
00:47:08Yes, and I think Councilwoman Brewer talked about it.
00:47:12The vaping in the classroom, a lot of these products are making it easier for these young people to get high.
00:47:21I mean, if I didn't know this and I saw this sitting on a desk or a child carrying it around, I would not think that it was illegal cannabis.
00:47:30So one of the things that we want to do, we have a great coordination with the Chancellor.
00:47:36We are going to put together some type of documentary that we can get out to the teachers and
00:47:43the schools to say, here's what we should be looking for.
00:47:48We need to be in a constant state of education so that we can push back on what is happening to our children.
00:47:54If you were to go to the average educator, they would not know this stuff.
00:47:59And so we have to use the law enforcement community,
00:48:03must be connected to our schools so that we can operate as a team.
00:48:08We started at the beginning of the administration.
00:48:10All of our principals and superintendents would have regularly scheduled meetings with the precinct commanders,
00:48:17with the borough commanders, because we need that cross-pollinization of how we communicate with each other.
00:48:25The first question you were saying, the-
00:48:29Organized.
00:48:30I have been speaking with the Commissioner, Commissioner Caban.
00:48:34We believe that at a minimum, there's a well-organized distribution network in place.
00:48:41And we don't want to just go after the stores, the social clubs.
00:48:47We want to go after the source.
00:48:49Commissioner Caban has already started that initiative to identify the distribution.
00:48:54There is a distribution system that's in place.
00:48:59No different than the distribution that you see in any major chain store operation.
00:49:05These products, I'm sure the lieutenant would tell you that as she goes to different locations,
00:49:11you're seeing the similarity in the products.
00:49:14And so we want to find out what's the source, how they get into the city,
00:49:18what's the distribution network to move it throughout,
00:49:22because there is clearly a very sophisticated distribution network.
00:49:27Bernadette.
00:49:28Hi, how are you?
00:49:29How are you, Bernadette?
00:49:30Good.
00:49:31So, Mr. Mayor, or maybe this is a question for the sheriff,
00:49:33what kind of data do you have that shows that these shops, you've got over 750, are actually closing down?
00:49:40Do you have data that distinguishes between what goes down permanently and what reopens?
00:49:45And then also for the assemblywoman, if you end up challenging Brad Lander or running for comptroller,
00:49:51is this something that you would take on and also audit?
00:49:55You always know how to sneak in an off topic.
00:50:00I think that when, not speaking for the assemblywoman,
00:50:03when she makes that decision, she'll lay out what topic she's going to go after.
00:50:07But she's being clear.
00:50:08She's about working class people and not merely finding political props,
00:50:13but doing the actual job of closing down the shops.
00:50:17So the data, what we've learned, and again, I think Councilwoman Brewer pointed out, these guys were so arrogant.
00:50:26You'll close them down at 4 AM, they'll open back up at 4 PM.
00:50:32And they were just so arrogant, they would clip the locks, they'd go back in and say business is open.
00:50:38And that was why we needed the connection with our state lawmakers.
00:50:42We needed the connection of having NYPD play a role,
00:50:47because then the precincts were able to have a special assignment and
00:50:52go back to those shops that were supposed to be closed and take action.
00:50:55If you didn't do that, then the sheriff did not have the manpower to be able to do those re-inspections.
00:51:01But by having the police deputize, they're able to go back.
00:51:05And that was the missing piece of deputizing the precincts and
00:51:11police officers, and that was something that the Assemblywoman pushed for us up in Albany, and the Governor understood it.
00:51:17And we were able to get that done.
00:51:18That was a huge, huge piece that we was missing from this operation.
00:51:23So, Mayor, how many of these are closed permanently, or how many of them have you guys already visited and now open again?
00:51:29We'll get those numbers from you.
00:51:30The sheriff will get those exact numbers from you, but hopefully all of them.
00:51:3460%.
00:51:3460%.
00:51:35Mayor, I was hoping you could add some color to some of the other illegal substances found.
00:51:42Are you seeing stuff like fentanyl directly interlaced with the bud, or are you seeing it kind of peddled separately?
00:51:50And that's interesting.
00:51:51And Sheriff, you want to talk about some of the stuff you see?
00:51:54Come on to this mic.
00:51:57You're not overshadowing him.
00:52:01So we're finding these products separately many times.
00:52:04There are other products like psilocybin mushrooms, many times in edible forms, so chocolate form in edibles.
00:52:11We find some syrups, also psilocybin and hallucinogens, but fentanyl, we're seeing that separately.
00:52:18And how often are you also finding weapons or large stores of cash?
00:52:23Many times we are finding weapons, such as the mayor mentioned earlier, we found a shotgun at the location in Monhaven.
00:52:30These are very large cash businesses, so we are finding a lot of cash when we do these inspections.
00:52:35And your name, please, Lieutenant, so we have it.
00:52:36Lieutenant Rosa.
00:52:37Can you spell your full name first?
00:52:39I'm going to put you on TV.
00:52:40Okay.
00:52:43All right, thank you.
00:52:45I want to show the whole team.
00:52:46I have a couple of questions, Mayor.
00:52:49Yes.
00:52:50So it was when the legal, regulated cannabis shops
00:52:54were allowed to open the licensed ones that we saw the illegal
00:52:59operators really proliferate.
00:53:02I'm wondering if someone can sort of explain what the legal loophole was exactly that the illegal operators took advantage of in order to be able to just open and continue.
00:53:15I know that there's now this new enforcement mechanism that took effect a few months ago that we're seeing now.
00:53:21But the second part of the question is, is there anything else that needs to be sort of changed or
00:53:26updated or tweaked legislatively in order to maybe increase the penalties so
00:53:32that these stores stay closed, or to really distinguish them from the legal licensed cannabis shops?
00:53:39Great question, and the Sheriff can go into some of the problems we were finding.
00:53:45These guys were just writing this off as the cost of doing business.
00:53:47The fines were so low, and it was basically, so what if you hit me with a $250 summons?
00:53:55You're making so much money.
00:53:57That's just the cost of doing business.
00:53:59What we must do, we must now switch our attention to landlords that
00:54:05knowingly opened their business to a cannabis shop.
00:54:08I think we should look at some of the nuisance abatements laws,
00:54:11because those who are participating in the action must be held accountable.
00:54:17And that is what our team over at the NYPD and my council and
00:54:22the manager's office, we're looking at what's the next step up in Albany that we need to do, because we're learning a lot.
00:54:28We're learning what is bottlenecking the system, we're slowing it down.
00:54:32There were attempts to sort of reverse this action that was lost in court.
00:54:38So we want to see and go back to Albany and say, here, we have done this.
00:54:42We've closed down 750, 1,000 in the state.
00:54:45Here's what else we need to make it happen.
00:54:47You want to talk about some of those loopholes?
00:54:49Again, the legal versus illegal.
00:54:53When they decriminalized cannabis, that was the first thing, because it was reported as legalizing cannabis, it was decriminalized.
00:54:58And then people just came in and started opening the vacant shops.
00:55:01We had a lot of vacant shops, landlords were renting to what they didn't understand to be cannabis business.
00:55:06So one of the most effective tools, as the mayor said, is that the landlords are now being notified.
00:55:10They're being held accountable, and they are actually cooperating with all the enforcement agencies about removing those illegal tenants, because they violated the leases.
00:55:18And that cooperation with the landlords, the building owners, and with the various district attorney's office working collectively,
00:55:23has also been that additional response that's necessary to get them out of the locations.
00:55:27So the landlords are being fined as well?
00:55:30The landlords are now subject to fines up to $50,000.
00:55:33The fines for enforcement have also gone up, up to $25,000 per infraction.
00:55:38So based on those increased fines, it has an impact.
00:55:41But the cooperation of the landlords and the system that we're using to work with the landlords when they're trying to evict the tenants,
00:55:46and working with the various district attorney's offices in all five counties, that has been an effective response to actually getting the tenants out.
00:55:52So they've been vacating those leases, and the landlords are taking control of the properties back.
00:55:55Hi, hi Mr. Mayor, how are you?
00:55:59How are you?
00:56:00Good, thank you, I'm a little sweaty, but I'm just wondering, how many fines has the city issued?
00:56:06And versus that, how many have they collected from illegal cannabis shops?
00:56:10I know Councilman Gale brought it up.
00:56:11What's the number of fines issued?
00:56:14The fines are over 61 million.
00:56:17Over 60 million, we can get the number of how much has been collected.
00:56:22But we are also going to, as Councilman Brewer indicated,
00:56:28the delinquency and actually paying the fine.
00:56:31We're now moving into an operation of how do we go after and seize those fines.
00:56:36We seized the products, folks were fined.
00:56:39Now, as we continue to evolve, we're looking at, now how do we zero in and go after those fines?
00:56:44And there are different ways to do so.
00:56:46We're going to make sure it doesn't go afoul of the legal aspect of doing so.
00:56:53But we intend to collect every dollar.
00:56:56What's been some of the roadblocks in collecting those fines?
00:56:59I'm sorry?
00:56:59What's been some of the roadblocks in collecting those fines?
00:57:02Probably just a combination, and at the heart of this is that people just don't feel they should have to pay the fine.
00:57:09And these guys are very, very organized.
00:57:13And we have to be just as vigilant and organized.
00:57:15And we have a few tricks up our sleeves that we're going to meet them head on.
00:57:21And that's how we got where we are now.
00:57:23We're going to continue to evolve.
00:57:24We're not resting on our success.
00:57:27We are going to continue to meet these guys head on.
00:57:32And some of the roadblocks is just the arrogancy that they don't feel they have to pay.
00:57:39You just said as you guys continue to evolve, right?
00:57:42Do you feel like there's going to be an increase in how much agencies are deployed to tackle these specific,
00:57:47whether it be specific areas in different boroughs, to see how we can continue to crack down on these legal traps?
00:57:54Yeah, I didn't get it all.
00:57:55Did you?
00:57:56You heard it?
00:57:57I didn't hear it.
00:57:59Will there be like an increase in how many agencies are deployed from when the operation started,
00:58:05as you said, to continue to evolve, cracking down on these shots we're seeing, whether it be specific boroughs or just statewide?
00:58:12Yes, and I can speak of the city.
00:58:14I know the governor is really focused on this as well.
00:58:18We are doing an analysis on what manpower is needed, what additional manpower is needed to do investigations,
00:58:24as was just mentioned, the long-term investigation.
00:58:28The goal is to make sure that the sheriff and
00:58:32Commissioner Caban can coordinate to allocate the resources of the team.
00:58:37I was speaking with Deputy Mayor Banks, he had the whole team on board, but we were talking about what's the next evolution of this?
00:58:44This is the first evolution.
00:58:46We're becoming smarter.
00:58:47We're becoming more knowledgeable on what needs to be done.
00:58:51Making sure oath is, because oath must listen to all of these complaints.
00:58:56We have to beef up increased staffing in oath.
00:59:00We need to make sure the manpower is part of the investigation part.
00:59:03So we are in constant, DM Banks is constantly evolving to say, what's the best way for us to take to the next step?
00:59:11So we're excited about the next step.
00:59:13This is the first layer of it.
00:59:15We will shut down these illegal shops, as the borough president stated.
00:59:20We're going to shut you down.
00:59:23Any other questions?
00:59:25What happens to all of this?
00:59:27All of this that we confiscate, what happens?
00:59:29Yeah, and it's a lot.
00:59:29That's why I wanted to be clear.
00:59:31Don't be misled by the display we have here.
00:59:34This is all illegal products that's here.
00:59:37And if you look as far as your eyes can see, the sheriff is going to put in place with the team the process of destruction.
00:59:46There's a way to destroy the cannabis.
00:59:50Vapors are totally different, and we're going to need some help from the state to talk about not making it too labor intense.
00:59:57To destroy the vapes and other items, because I think they're classified as biohazardous materials.
01:00:04And it's just too much of a process to do.
01:00:06We need to figure out how we short that version.
01:00:08But the weed that's here, it's just going to go up in smoke.
01:00:14All right, we're going to have to take a group photo.
01:00:17Yes.