Inside the ‘gold rush’ of smoke shops illegally selling marijuana on Staten Island – Medical Marijuana Program Connection

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Smoke shops that sell illicit substances are growing like mushrooms on Staten Island in what one borough official called a modern “gold rush” of shady entrepreneurs who are profiting from delays in establishing a marketplace for legal marijuana in New York City.

Mayor Eric Adams and other city officials have repeatedly sounded the alarm about these shops, which they believe are undermining the financial viability of the budding marketplace for legal marijuana.