Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Illegal marijuana shops across Western New York could potentially be subjected to heavy fines in the near future.
Governor Kathy Hochul introduced Wednesday potential legislation that would give authorities permission to levy fines of $10,000 per day, up to $200,000 to any store selling marijuana products without a license.
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Store fronts have been sprouting up all over the Western New York area. From "sticker shops," where you purchase a sticker and get a free marijuana product, to local vape and smoke shops, bringing in unregulated THC products.
Erie County legislators and many local elected officials are concerned about the safety of the citizens regarding these products.
"It is a big concern, because they're popping up all over the place. Right now, they're not accountable to anybody. That's one of my biggest concerns. It's like anything, if you want to do things in business, you do it right," said Erie County Legislator Tim Meyers.
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"I would go into those shops and shut them down immediately, because they are unsafe," said Legislator Frank Todaro. "The way I look at it, we want to make sure the practice is safe for anyone that's going to smoke or eat anything that's been sold. The number one thing is health and safety."
If fines were to be imposed on those illegal shops, Meyers is sure that this will deter the business operators. "They're not going to cough up that type of money."
Should the state's focus be less on cracking down on these illegal business and more on getting these legal stores to open safely, as well as give these illegal shops the opportunity to become legal?
"Give those store owners a path to get licensed legally," Todaro says. "Taxpayers pay their taxes and those taxes are all these different types of committees or associations that make sure that we [businesses] operate safely. That's what we pay our taxes for. Let's make sure that it's working that way."
So far to date, there are currently two legal recreational marijuana stores operating in upstate New York, one in Binghamton and one in Ithaca.