Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams brandish some hardware to pledge their unified front to “padlock” stores that sell illicit cannabis products. The appearance was made April 19 in Manhattan to unveil legislation to enhance enforcement of the state’s legal cannabis regulatory abilities. Included is the deputizing of local law enforcement officers to help state officials clamp down on the illegal “pop-up” weed retailers. (Photo: Office of the Governor of the state of New York)
BAYSIDE — Realizing the need for a tougher crackdown on shops dealing illegal marijuana, Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams last month unveiled a unified front to thwart the proliferation of unlicensed cannabis retailers across the city and state.
But weeks earlier, parents of students at Sacred Heart Catholic Academy in northeast Queens made it clear that even a legally licensed cannabis dispensary in their neighborhood was cause for alarm.
That’s why, on Feb. 5, they were in the crowd at a packed Community Board 11 meeting to protest a license request for a marijuana dispensary proposed by Canna Buddha Corporation.
The New Mexico-based company wanted to put the new dispensary at 215-46 39 Ave. — 520 feet from the academy located at