As of last June, more than two years after New York legalized recreational marijuana, just 12 state-licensed dispensaries had opened for business, falling far short of Gov. Kathy Hochul's prediction that more than 100 would be operating by that summer. Six months later, Hochul was bragging that "nearly 40 adult-use dispensaries will have opened in 2023." The current count is 87. Those stores, The New York Times notes, "are far outnumbered by more than 2,000 rogue head shops, the target of complaints that they siphon customers, sell to children and attract criminals."
New York's rollout of marijuana legalization has been a "disaster," as Hochul conceded in January. "Every other storefront" is an unlicensed pot shop, she told The Buffalo News. "It's insane."
