NYPD cracking down on trucks selling marijuana

NYPD cracks down on weed trucks

The NYPD is cracking down on weed trucks they say are operating in the city illegally but some businesses insist they're not breaking any laws.

NEW YORK - In a police lineup of a different kind, the NYPD sent out video of at least 20 confiscated trucks on Wednesday. Some vehicles say "weed" on them while others are wrapped in similar marijuana images.

FOX 5 NY was at Bryant Park for one of the truck seizures. A food cart had on its side advertising for the sale of marijuana edibles and vapes which are not legal for recreational sales in the state of New York just yet.

The NYPD crackdown comes as New York is poised to start awarding licenses to sell recreational cannabis. But right now, only the sale of medical cannabis is legal in New York.

Several operations have moved to preempt legalization through the use of membership or donation models. The state's office of cannabis management issued cease and desist letters months ago, asking those operations to stop.

But the agency tells FOX 5 NY that their carrot approach also needs a stick, and is supporting the NYPD crackdown.

"There are definitely folks who decided to jump the gun here. We tried to educate them. We tried to warn them of the consequences and the opportunity they’re missing out on," said Chris Alexander, the Executive Director of the New York State Office of Cannabis Management "And now other organizations, other municipalities, other partners and government agencies are starting to take action. And that’s what we need to see at this point in time."