Bay Ridge weed dispensary shutdown amid Brooklyn’s awaited first legal cannabis store opening

December 19, 2023 Robert Abruzzese, Courthouse Editor

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Thursday he plans to visit three or four states where weed is legal. AP photo by Richard Vogel

Marijuana.
Photo: Richard Vogel/AP

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Despite legalizing weed years ago in New York State, Brooklyn is still waiting for its first legal weed store to officially open its doors on Tuesday.

While everyone waits, Attorney General Letitia James announced on Monday that her office has helped to shut down one of the hundreds of gray-market stores that have popped up since legalization to meet demand.

James made the announcement on Monday along with Gov. Kathy Hochul and the Office of Cannabis Management that Big Chief Smoke Shop in Bay Ridge, was closed for operating without a license.

Big Chief, which has been selling cannabis since at least November 2022, is one of dozens of stores in the neighborhood and hundreds like it all over Brooklyn. It has repeatedly ignored orders to cease its unlicensed activities. Investigators claimed to have seized more than 600 pounds of cannabis and products during inspections on Monday, and the store now faces the possibility of substantial penalties.

“We have no tolerance for illicit retailers who break the law and undermine our nation-leading adult-use cannabis industry,” Hochul said.