Struggling to stop illegal cannabis stores, New York governor asks online sites to hide them

By CEDAR ATTANASIO
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Since New York legalized marijuana in 2021, unlicensed pot shops have proliferated across New York City, with limited pushback from authorities. On Tuesday, Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul called on sites such as Yelp and Google Maps to stop listing them, and also renewed calls for the state Legislature to beef up enforcement powers and penalties. In a statement, Yelp said the company believes “consumers have a First Amendment right to read and write about all businesses, even if unlicensed.” Google noted that it does remove listings for closed venues.