 New York state legalized cannabis for recreational adult use in 2021, but has still not been able to finalize regulations and licensing for sales to actually begin.
During this waiting period, the illicit market has flourished. Earlier this year, New York’s Office of Cannabis Management sent out dozens of cease-and-desist letters to illicit operations across the state, but many still remain. New York City in particular still has many illicit stores selling THC cannabis products. In August, New York’s Medical Cannabis Industry Association commissioned a report on this subject. The study used online resources like Facebook and Google Maps to search for stores, and found about 30. They ended up visiting 20 different illicit retail locations, and purchased two THC products from each store. They they had these tested at an independent lab. What they found was that just about 40% of the illicit purchases contained E. coli, lead, and salmonella. Each of these can each cause very serious health complications, including kidney failure, severe fever or infection throughout the body, and even potential kidney or brain damage. The state report said, “…these unregulated, illicit operations … exacerbate[s] an already alarming public health trend, especially among teens and young adults who either are unaware of or choose to ignore the health risks.” Comments are closed.
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