Chuck Schumer Attends NYC's 50th Annual Cannabis Rally As Queens DA Shakes Down Illicit Weed Shops

New Yorkers waited in long lines Saturday outside green tents with a unique twist on the city's logo. Instead of the traditional "We Love NYC" design, the new merchandise featured a marijuana leaf, a sign of the city's open attitude towards the plant.

As reported by Gothamist, the 50th annual NYC Cannabis Parade and Rally brought together vendors, advocates and enthusiasts as well as the usual politicians such as New York's own Chuck Schumer. 

For the third year in a row, the Senate Majority Leader spoke at the rally, vowing yet again to pass federal cannabis banking reform legislation as Congress works to end prohibition.

“We struck a real victory here in New York with legalization, which I pushed the legislature to do,” Schumer said, adding that no one can take away what cannabis legalization has meant for the U.S. "Now Congress has to catch up. I’m working on Congress to catch up to New York.”

This coming Thursday, May 11, the Senate Banking Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing on the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act.  

Meanwhile, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz's announced the shutdown of three illegal cannabis operations and the arrest of five individuals.  

“Unlicensed sellers are undercutting legal vendors as they are just getting started, denying badly needed tax revenues for essential public services,” Katz said. “Illegal outlets also are the focus of numerous community complaints, including for selling hallucinogens and edible marijuana products that have sickened young people and are marketed to children.”

Enforcement operations in Queens since November have led to the prosecution of 55 individuals for charges related to the sale and/or possession of cannabis or controlled substances.

This move happened days after Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a measure proposing harsh penalties for unlicensed and illicit sales of cannabis across the state.

Photo: Benzinga