It seems all I have been talking about this week is the law of unintended consequences..I have to say i tend to agree with cannabis lawyer Jeffrey Hoffman who is quoted in the article saying
Jeffrey Hoffman, an attorney who works with licensed cannabis businesses, said the majority of landlords that rented to unlicensed ones either didn’t know or didn’t care if their tenants flouted the rules, and the threat of fines had no effect.
“I don’t know what planet we live on when landlords just take no responsibility for whoever they lease their property to or what happens there after they lease it,” Hoffman said. “That is where we are.”
Here’s the intro to the piece
In late April, the city padlocked an unlicensed cannabis seller in Jackson Heights. The store briefly re-opened, sparking protests from the community — and a second padlock in May.
The property manager, Judson Ain, then was told by the Queens district attorney that the owner would be fined $50,000 unless it evicted the shop. Ain got the tenant to surrender the lease, avoiding lengthy court proceedings.
Yet the space, on a busy retail corridor, remains empty. Ain can’t get the city to remove the lock.
“We acted within 24 hours of getting that notice,” he said. “And now we are waiting two weeks to get possession.”
Meanwhile, he’s getting complaints from the community about loitering, trash piling up and the eyesore of a dead storefront.
“The city acts beautifully when they lock you up,” said the property manager, “but when we do the right things as the landlord, they don’t act as quickly.”
Read full article
https://therealdeal.com/new-york/2024/06/29/landlords-turn-on-nyc-pot-shops-as-city-places-padlocks/
