Judge Refuses To Stop NYC Crackdown On Illegal Weed Shops, Which Mayor Adams Calls 'Magnets For Violence'
A group of New York City businesses that saw their stores shut down as part of the "Operation Padlock to Protect" program lost their case against the city officials after a federal judge refused on Thursday to halt the crackdown on unlicensed sellers of cannabis. New York City authorities decided to put an end to thousands of unlicensed shops selling cannabis earlier this year after a new law, known as the Smokeout Act, allowed the NYPD and local sheriff's office to close those businesses without a court order on the first inspection. The stores made money from regular sources as well, selling non-cannabis goods. In June, 27 businesses filed a class-action lawsuit against the city, arguing that the initiative introduced by Mayor Eric Adams in early May violated their due process rights under the U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment. The legal action sought an injunction to halt these practices.
