(WETM) – Twenty cannabis stores in the Southern Tier have been warned by New York State to stop any and all illegal sales to avoid losing their licenses, according to dozens of “cease and desist” letters sent by the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM).
The letters were issued to over 50 stores throughout New York explaining that the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA), enacted in March 2021, established rules to legally sell cannabis at licensed stores in the state.
“Legal, license, and taxed sales can begin only after the state approves regulations governing sales and licenses the businesses making them,” the letters explained. The OCM said in the letters that illegally selling cannabis products that aren’t lab-tested puts the public’s health at risk.
The OCM sent 20 letters to businesses across the Southern Tier, including in Elmira, Bath, Waverly, Watkins Glen, Binghamton, and Penn Yan. The OCM accused the businesses of “engaging in unlicensed cannabis sales” or that unlicensed sales are happening on the stores’ properties.
The local businesses that the OCM sent letters to included:
- 420 Novs, Bath
- 420 Novelties, Elmira
- 5 Star Tattoo, Elmira Heights
- Bmillz LLC, Addison
- Bmillz LLC, Elmira Heights
- Bmillz, LLC, Elmira
- Budbub Svcs LLC, Barton
- Exotic Gifts N Dreams LLC
- Fat Daddy’s, Watkins Glen
- Fat Daddy’s, Penn Yan
- Fat Daddy’s Elmira
- Good Vibes Customs, Bath
- Grateful Smoke & Gift Shop LLC, Waverly
- Good Vibes Customs, Elmira
- LakeWatch Inn Catering & Event Planning, Ithaca
- Mile High Accessories LLC, Waverly
- Mile High Accessories LLC, Waverly
- The Ground Up, Waverly
- Good Vibes Customs, Ithaca
- Grateful Smoke & Gift Shop LLC, Waverly
The OCM said in the letters that if the businesses don’t stop any illegal activity immediately, the stores put their “ability to obtain a license in the legal cannabis market at substantial risk.” The stores face possible fines and criminal penalties, as well, the letters said.
Copies of all the Cease and Desist letters sent by the OCM can be found on the Office of Cannabis Management’s website.
