New York Attorney General Letitia James announced a $9.5 million judgment against George West, the owner of an unlicensed cannabis dispensary in Ontario County.
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New York Attorney General Letitia James recently announced that George West, the owner of an unlicensed cannabis dispensary in Ontario County, has been hit with a $9.5 million judgment. This decision came after West refused to comply with an order from the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) in June 2023 to stop his operations.
West operated Jaydega 7.0 on Main Street in Canandaigua, continuing to sell cannabis without a license despite multiple warnings and even a judicial closure order issued in November 2023. The $9.5 million penalty breaks down into over $1 million in profits he earned illegally and $8.4 million in fines for his continued violations.
According to New York's Cannabis Law, any business wanting to cultivate, process, or sell cannabis legally needs to register and obtain proper licensing from the Cannabis Control Board.
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West had been operating without a license since at least September 2022, bringing in close to $2.4 million in sales over about 16 months. When OCM inspected his shop in June 2023, they seized over 200 pounds of cannabis products and ordered him to close, yet he continued his business until a court forced him to shut down.
"George West ignored our laws and repeatedly chose profit over public safety," said AG James. "This judgment sends a clear message that unlicensed cannabis sellers will face serious consequences."
Unlicensed dispensaries, like West's, sell products that aren’t lab-tested or taxed, which, as AG James pointed out, can pose significant risks to consumers and communities.
Despite these crackdowns, unlicensed cannabis sales remain a substantial part of New York’s market. In an effort to address this, earlier this year, Governor Kathy Hochul and NYC Mayor Eric Adams closed down over 1,000 illegal cannabis shops across the state.
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