NEW YORK CITY (WABC) — The problem of New York City’s illegal cannabis dispensaries will be the focus of a news conference Tuesday afternoon in Manhattan.
Mayor Eric Adams and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg will join law enforcement officials in addressing the issue.
Authorities estimate some 1,400 shops are now selling marijuana in the five boroughs, and virtually all of them are doing so illegally.
That practice, along with safety issues associated with tobacco and electronic cigarettes, prompted a joint oversight hearing three weeks ago by New York City Council’s Committees on Oversight & Investigations, Consumer & Worker Protection and Health.
Officials are also concerned about an increase in crimes targeting those businesses.
Eyewitness News is tracking crime and safety across New York City and in your neighborhood
The NYPD released video of a recent robbery at a smoke shop in Gravesend, Brooklyn.
The video shows one of the suspects taking a hammer from behind the counter of “Hubble Bubble” on Avenue P Thursday morning and threatening employees with it.
Investigators say he demanded CBD products. The suspects seen in the video then punched a 30-year-old worker multiple times.
They made off with cash and about $800 worth of cannabis products.
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