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Speaker Carl E. Heastie
 
     
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A09689 Memo:

NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY
MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION
 submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)




 
BILL NUMBER: A9689
 
SPONSOR: Slater

 
TITLE OF BILL:
 
An act to amend the cannabis law, in relation to permitting any police
officer to enforce licensure requirements of retail dispensaries by
closing retail locations which sell cannabis without a license; allows
seizure of the instrumentality of the unlawful sales, including real
estate
 
 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
 
Permits police officers to enforce licensure requirements of retail
dispensaries; allows seizure of the instrumentality of the unlawful
sales, including real estate
 
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:.

Section 1: allows law enforcement to shut down and seize the property of
any business found to be selling cannabis without a license
 
Section 2: provides the effective date
 
 
JUSTIFICATION:
 
With the cannabis law making the sale and consumption of marijuana legal
for those 21 and older, storefronts have largely been able to operate
with impunity regarding selling and distributing marijuana without a
license. Local law enforcement has been left powerless in lieu of The
Office of Cannabis Management (OCM), being the primary department that
is charged with overseeing the legal sale and distribution of marijuana.
However, OCM is severely understaffed when it comes to their number of
investigators. This has created an environment where illegal sale and
distribution of marijuana frequently goes unchecked as local law
enforcement is forced to hand cannabis sale oversight to OCM.
 
This bill allows for local law enforcement to directly enforce said
provisions and prosecute violators, as opposed to just delegating
possession and sale cases to OCM, which oftentimes are pasSed along to
no avail.
 
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
 
New Bill
 
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
 
TBD
 
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediately
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