A judge has ruled against New York in its crackdown on unlicensed cannabis stores

NEW YORK – A Queens judge ruled that the city’s shutdown of an unlicensed cannabis store was unconstitutional.

The decision puts a serious question mark on Mayor Eric Adams’ “Operation Padlock to Protect” law enforcement program. This surgery has closed approximately 1,000 unlicensed cannabis stores.

A state Supreme Court judge has ruled that a closed business on Francis Lewis Boulevard in Queens was denied due process and that a program that allowed the sheriff to decide whether a store would close for up to a year was unconstitutional.

The plaintiff’s attorney says the decision will allow any closed store to be immediately reopened and a lawsuit can be filed for compensation for damages related to the store closure.

The mayor announces he will file an appeal

The mayor’s office said the city would appeal the ruling, arguing that “illegal tobacconists and their products threaten young New Yorkers and their quality of life.”

The city says it will continue to padlock illegal storefronts.

The plaintiff’s attorney says he is confident that the appellate court will uphold the ruling.

This is not the first time a judge has ruled against the city over repression. in August A judge has allowed a Bayside bodega accused of selling cannabis to reopen.

Operation Padlock to Protect launched in early May after state lawmakers cracked down on unlicensed cannabis dispensaries.