New Oneida County Law Takes Aim at Illegal Pot Shops

Legalized recreational marijuana is officially here in New York State and locally there are several legal dispensaries are already open. However, there has been a major increase in the amount of illegal pot shops popping up and Oneida County is doing all they can to put a stop to it.

During a press conference held Thursday, Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente announced a major piece of legislation his office introduced to combat the plight of illegal marijuana sales throughout the county. In addition to targeting illegal pot shops, the law is also intended to regulate tobacco and nicotine paraphernalia.

Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente says,

In my State of the County Address earlier this year, I vowed to shut down the illegal cannabis shops that are plaguing communities across Oneida County and to regulate how smoke shops sell the tobacco and nicotine paraphernalia that are targeting our youth. These two new local laws will put the power back in our hands to take control of this untenable situation and improve public health for all.

These laws are designed specifically to protect the children of the county.

The first law will targets the local illegal pot distributers by allowing the Oneida County Health Department to combat the unlicensed sale of cannabis. It will allow the department to conduct inspections and issue strong punishments. Fines include $2,500 each day for a first violation, $5,000 each day for a second violation and $10,000 each day for a third or subsequent violation, with a maximum penalty of $25,000 per each unique instance of violation.

There are currently only two cannabis shops licensed by the New York State Office of Cannabis Management in Oneida County. They are Exit 33 and Air City Cannabis. That does not include any cannabis business operated by the Oneida Indian Nation.

The second local law directed towards nicotine and tobacco products is a first-of-its-kind legislation that will establish a comprehensive system for licensing and inspection of smoking paraphernalia retailers. The law states you will now need a specific license issued by Oneida County Health to sell any of the following products.

• pipes
• waterpipes
• hookahs
• rolling papers
• leaf (such as tendu leaves)
• electronic pipes
• electronic cigarettes
• electronic tank-devices
• any other device, equipment or apparatus designed for the inhalation of tobacco or nicotine

The licensing fee is $2,500 and must be renewed every two years.

Picente says,

The use of tobacco and nicotine is one of the greatest public health threats of our time, as it is linked to 13 types of cancer and 25 chronic diseases. While the use of cigarettes has fallen, the use of vapes and waterpipes has skyrocketed, particularly among young people. Studies show that smoke shops increase the use of tobacco and nicotine products, especially when they are located near schools. Cracking down on this access will go a long way to protecting our children.

This will hopefully curb not only the illegal products being sold, but hopefully help keep products safe and clean. The laws will both be presented to the Oneida County Board of Legislators on October 9th, 2024 for a vote.