Vape shop in Kenmore raided, shut down by state cannabis agency
KENMORE, N.Y. (WIVB) – A local business has been shut down by the state for illegally selling cannabis.
Wicked Glass Smoke Shop is located on Delaware Avenue in Kenmore. A sign on the front window greets you saying illegal cannabis on site has been seized by the state’s Office of Cannabis Management.
According to officials and witnesses, Wicked Glass was raided Wednesday morning. State Police confirm they are leading the investigation. WIVB News 4 received video of the raid shot by an employee of a neighboring business, showing police in front of the vape shop and across the street.
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WIVB News 4 spoke to workers at Valu Muffler Brake Auto Center next door, they say there was a large police presence here Wednesday morning.
“They ended up going in there and I guess they found a bunch of stuff, weed and stuff that wasn’t regulated or something and that’s pretty much what we saw and it went on for two hours, they went in there with scales, they were going in with gigantic totes,” said Adam Ulmer, who said he witnessed the raid from Valu Muffler Brake Auto Center.
Michelle Bacon works with Adam and said: “[There were] just a lot of cars, a lot of police officers and I’ve never been in there I’ve never seen a lot of people going in and out.”
Statewide, the state’s Office of Cannabis Management has been focused on shutting down businesses that have not gotten a dispensary license to sell recreational marijuana. The state reports that tens of millions of dollars worth of illegal product continues to be seized. The state OCM has a task force cracking down on stores illegally selling marijuana.
Over the summer, the state had conducted a crackdown blitz to shutdown unlicensed cannabis stores.
State officials say they’ve closed down more than 1,000 stores saying they have taken business away from licensed retailers.
“I am pleased to see the Office of Cannabis Management’s continued enforcement of shutting down illegal cannabis dispensaries. Following the law and providing safe regulated consumer products is important, supporting New York State employment and supply chain is important, as is the generated tax revenue that is targeted for reinvestment back into New York communities negatively impacted by the War on Drugs,” said Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes.
WIVB News 4 has reached out to the operators of Wicked Glass to know what’s next for the business but we have not heard back.
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