Mayor Eric Adams is cleaning house, torching nearly 1,400 illegal smoke shops and seizing $95 million in shady cannabis since launching “Operation Padlock to Protect” in May 2024. In a May 14, 2025, victory lap, Hizzoner unveiled plans to flip vacant, padlocked storefronts into legit pizzerias, barber shops, and legal weed stores, supercharging NYC’s record-breaking small business surge. With Albany’s backing, Adams’ sheriff and consumer protection squads have slammed the brakes on unlicensed pot peddlers, making streets safer for kids. Now, the city’s teaming up with landlords to unseal stores, fueling a legal cannabis market that’s already hit $350 million in sales and sprouted 160 licensed dispensaries. From Brooklyn to the Bronx,
Mayor Adams Celebrates Progress Closing
Illegal Smoke Shops, Turning Vacant Storefronts Into Legal, Small Businesses
– New York City Mayor Eric Adams today touted significant progress shutting down illegal smoke shops since he launched “Operation Padlock to Protect” last year and announced next steps for re-opening shuttered storefronts as safe, legal businesses. After successfully securing authority from Albany to shut down illegal smoke shops in 2024, Mayor Adams launched Operation Padlock to Protect and empowered the New York City Sheriff’s Office and the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) to padlock shops illicitly selling cannabis without a license. Since May 2024, the city has shut down nearly 1,400 shops and seized over $95 million in illegal products from illicit stores. As the city recently passed the one-year mark of Operation Padlock to Protect, the Adams administration will begin working with landlords to re-open previously sealed and vacant stores, allowing them to either apply to operate as a legal cannabis store or a different type of business altogether. The Adams administration will work to fill vacant storefronts as they are unsealed and build on the record number of small businesses reached under the Adams administration.
“This time last year, there were thousands of illegal smoke shops plaguing our city with unlicensed cannabis endangering our children. One year later, we are proud to announce that we have turned the tide. Thanks to the tireless efforts by our city’s law enforcement officers, we’ve padlocked thousands of illegal shops and created safer streets for children and families,” said Mayor Adams. “But we’re not stopping there. The next step of our plan is to work with property owners to safely and legally re-open their vacant storefronts, replacing illegal smoke shops with pizzerias, bakeries, barber shops, retail stores, and other legal establishments. These businesses will help revitalize neighborhoods and help grow our record number of small businesses even higher. This is what it looks like when government comes together to solve real problems and create a safer, more affordable city for all New Yorkers.”
“Thanks to Mayor Adams and our administration, ‘Operation Padlock to Protect’ has removed millions of dangerous, illegal cannabis products from our neighborhoods and from the hands of the youth of our communities,” said New York City Sheriff Anthony Miranda. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners and fellow agencies to padlock illegal smoke shops, monitor storefronts as they are unsealed, and ensure that illegal smoke shops remain out of business.”
“As previously padlocked storefronts are unsealed, SBS is excited to help fill them with new small businesses across all industries, including legal cannabis,” said New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS) Commissioner Dynishal Gross. “‘Operation Padlock to Protect’ has not only been a success for public safety, but for the legal small businesses that will fill these storefronts and for the legitimate cannabis industry. With 160 licensed dispensaries now open, more than 1,400 consultations delivered, and over $500,000 in monies disbursed through our loan fund, SBS’ Cannabis NYC program is providing the hands-on support, training, and capital that entrepreneurs need to succeed — all while driving job creation and advancing our city’s economic recovery.”
Since launching in May 2024, Operation Padlock to Protect has systematically conducted joint operations — which include inspections and follow-up inspections — in neighborhoods across the five boroughs. When illegal stores are ordered to be sealed, officers from local New York City Police Department precincts monitor those locations to ensure compliance and alert the Sheriff’s Office when violations of the seal order occur.
Record-high closures of illegal smoke shops have won widespread praise by New Yorkers who have applauded the Adams administration for taking decisive action on this public-safety and quality-of-life nuisance. Operation Padlock to Protect is another example of the Adams administration’s efforts to double down on its commitment to swiftly shut down illegal operators, protect the city’s children, improve quality of life, and facilitate a safe and thriving legal cannabis market.
The Adams administration is also working to re-open shuttered storefronts as legal businesses. New York City is legally allowed to padlock storefronts for up to one year following a closure due to the sale of illegal product; as the city reaches the one-year mark of Operation Padlock to Protect, the New York City Sheriff’s Office will be working with landlords to unseal their properties and allow them to re-open with a new, legal business in their place. The city is notifying property owners of their next steps and urging them to contact the New York City Sheriff’s Office at (718) 707-2100 or email SmokeShopRelease@nyc.gov to schedule an appointment. The New York City Department of Finance will be mailing letters to the building owners and businesses with a secure code to present to the New York City Sheriff’s Office with detailed instructions.
In addition to closing illegal smoke shops to keep New Yorkers safe, the Adams administration has helped create a thriving legal cannabis industry as well through the launch of Cannabis NYC. Cannabis NYC has already engaged over 6,000 New Yorkers interested in the cannabis industry on its five-borough “Lift Off! Cannabis NYC” public education, listening, and outreach tour and over 200 New Yorkers have participated in the FastTrac for Cannabis Entrepreneurs sessions, which connect legal cannabis business owners and entrepreneurs with free, high-quality training and advice delivered by leading voices in the legal cannabis industry. Additionally, SBS’ NYC Business Solutions Centers offers free business courses, consultations, hiring assistance, and more through their cannabis account managers. SBS has provided over 1,400 cannabis consultations through the Business Solutions Centers network.
Legal cannabis sales in New York City topped $350 million last year alone and 160 legal, adult-use cannabis dispensaries have now opened across the five boroughs as of April 2025. These milestones come as the city’s landmark Cannabis NYC Loan Fund — which was launched in October 2024 in partnership with the New York City Economic Development Corporation — has disbursed $500,000 of its initial $2 million tranche to support early-stage cannabis businesses.
To bolster legal cannabis businesses even further and ensure equitable access to capital, the Cannabis NYC Loan Fund provides Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary (CAURD) licensees with flexible loans of up to $100,000. There is no application fee, no minimum credit score, and a 36-month repayment period. The fund — administered by the cannabis-focused private equity firm Tuatara Capital — is once again open to applications from CAURD licensees to help cover the costs of start-up and ongoing operating expenses. Additionally, SBS provides support with commercial lease negotiations, permitting, and licensing through the NYC Business Express Service Team, and the NYC LEASE initiative helps to connect dispensary licensees with viable storefronts and education about state regulations.
“I was proud to lead the fight against illegal smoke shops by passing the SMOKEOUT Act last year. My bill equipped the Sheriff and DCWP with enforcement power, allowing them to close illegal smoke shops across the city with ‘Operation Padlock to Protect,’” said New York State Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar. “In a year, they shuttered 1,400 shops that were attracting crime, selling to children, and sapping revenue from legal dispensaries. As we celebrate the success of Padlock to Protect on its first anniversary, we begin the process of reopening storefronts, allowing lawful businesses to grow and thrive. Together, we will embrace a future free of illegal smoke shops and full of vibrant commercial activity on every street.”
“‘Operation Padlock to Protect’ is helping restore order and opportunity to our commercial corridors. By closing illegal shops and making way for safe, licensed businesses, this initiative strengthens public safety and supports responsible economic growth,” said New York State Senator Leroy Comrie. “I commend Mayor Adams for ensuring that our city’s recovery is grounded in fairness and community impact. I was proud to have had key elements of my SMOKEOUT ACT bill incorporated into last year’s budget, giving the city the authority for Operation Padlock, and I look forward to seeing these facilities become vibrant spaces that serve local needs and uplift neighborhood economies.”
“The unfettered proliferation of illegal smoke shops and the explosion of a robust and recalcitrant cannabis black market created a serious quality of life, public safety, and public health crisis on Staten Island and across New York City,” said Staten Island District Attorney Michael E. McMahon. “Despite previous limitations placed on police and prosecutors to hold the proprietors of these illicit businesses accountable, the men and women of my office refused to allow the unregulated, unlicensed, and unsafe sale of marijuana to continue on our shores. Using every tool at our disposal and all avenues of the law — criminal, civil, or otherwise, my office has been relentless in our pursuit to padlock and permanently close illegal smoke shops operating in our borough. We thank our partners in City Hall and in law enforcement for addressing this critical public safety and quality of life crisis, and my office looks forward to working alongside them in the weeks and months to come to continue to shut down these smokescreen storefronts masquerading as legitimate businesses once and for all.”
“Unlicensed cannabis shops have been a persistent source of community complaints, quality-of-life concerns, and unfair competition for businesses that follow the law. These efforts help strengthen our neighborhoods and create the space for legal, responsible businesses to thrive,” said Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez. “Brooklyn residents deserve safe streets and vibrant business districts, and we will continue to collaborate with our partners to deliver both.”
“Andrew Cuomo rushed to legalize marijuana without any plan to regulate it, opening the floodgates and leaving New York City to deal with the consequences. I commend the mayor on the continued success of ‘Operation Padlock to Protect,’ which has made real progress in shutting down the illegal pot shops that have been plaguing our neighborhoods,” said New York City Councilmember Robert Holden.
“Illegal smoke shops have not only undermined our legal cannabis market, but they’ve also posed a serious threat to public safety and quality of life in our communities. I commend Mayor Adams for taking bold, decisive action through ‘Operation Padlock to Protect.’ This effort is helping to restore order, support legitimate small business growth, and bring vitality back to our vacant commercial corridors,” said New York City Councilmember Kamillah Hanks. “New Yorkers deserve safe, lawful neighborhoods — and this initiative is a step in the right direction.”
May 14, 2025 Manhattan, New York
Sources: NYC.gov , Big New York news BigNY.com
Midtown Tribune news
New York Independent News
Independent New York News & USA News for You TV503.com