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Jungle Boys smoke shop has closed
I am not sure if the comings and goings of these proliferating smoke shops will always deserve a post, but since this one was targeted by The Post and since I have been sitting on some illuminating intel from the city Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, here goes.
Jungle Boys, the weed shop across from City Hall on Broadway, closed permanently on Sunday. S. sent a note, and I got the picture yesterday. The shelves are bare. “From what I gathered via pantomime through the locked glass door, it seems they are closing up shop for good,” S. wrote.
The company describes itself as LA-based cultivators “working towards a singular mission: to grow clean and potent cannabis.” My friend H. shopped there because she liked to buy the gummies that had the state of California seal on them — she figured they were the real deal. But since they are not a licensed dispensary in New York State, that transparency got them in trouble. They were raided in December, and subsequently fined $50K. Then raided again this month, according to The Post, which loved that they were across from City Hall.
So here’s what I learned from the city:
- Smoke shops must hold Electronic Cigarette Retail Dealer licenses or Tobacco Retail Dealer Licenses. How we check that is tough, since I am no good with the city’s Open Data charts. Still, I plan to follow up on that one.
- Smoke shop hours, unlike bars and restaurants, are not regulated by the city. They can be open 24 hours.
- There are caps set per Community District. Our cap is 73 (!) for tobacco retail dealers, and 42 for electronic cigarette dealers.
- No one is allowed to sell any products with flavors.
- For businesses with either of these licenses that are located with 500 feet of a school, it is illegal to display smoking paraphernalia or advertisements for tobacco products, electronic cigarettes, or vapor products in the storefront or exterior windows or doors per NY State Public Health Law.
Some links if you want to read it from the source:
General info on licensing for tobacco dealers
Application requirements for tobacco licenses
Application requirements for electronic cigarette licenses
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Hopefully this is just the first of 73 closures in Tribeca!
agreed.
smoke shops that are “Legal”. All of these so called smoke shops around our city need to close down. All of them illegal. only two legal ones in this city.
You are right on Point! – I was thinking the same thing
There are only two legally licensed Smoke shops in Manhattan – both of whom are way uptown.
All of these many other Smoke shops are not legally licensed or allowed to sell Marijuana…
They are simply taking advantage of the perception of their “legality” and selling pot illegally!
It does raise a lot of questions – where are they buying this pot from, and who exactly is checking it?
The state approved shops must buy from approved NY growers… whom one would hope(!) are visited and supervised by the state.
This is not the case in all these illegal pot selling smoke shops…
Buyer Beware..
You might be confusing “Smoke Shop” with Dispensaries. There are currently only two legal recreational dispensaries in Manhattan. Smoke shops have long been legal, with the intention of selling products related to tobacco.
Smoke Shops have always been around… But they used to sell only legal tobacco products…
That is clearly not the case anymore which is why they need to either follow the rules or be shut down.
NYC police should be going in, confiscating, fining… Laws need to be changed in order to help enforce legality…
Helpful info, thanks
Yay!! I remember the old Willner’s Chemists in that space and was so sad when it closed bc it was so convenient and homey. What landlord rents to a seedy-looking smoke shop (age 21 required to enter) across from City Hall? Building owner shoulda known better. Good riddance!
As everyone knows, the real estate business and its members represent the pinnacle of moral rectitude.
Too Funny! :)
Noise New York City is a dispensary located in Manhattan and a few locations in Brooklyn. They are expanding, and authorities have not yet intervened. It is hoped that they will be stopped soon.