New York State Capitol Building.
Legislation introduced today in the New York Senate would expand the enforcement authority of the Office of Cannabis Management, giving the agency broader power to investigate and search businesses and products suspected of violating state marijuana and hemp laws.
Senate Bill 9924 was introduced by State Senator Jeremy Cooney (D) and referred to the Senate Committee on Investigations and Government Operations. According to the bill’s summary, the measure would expand available enforcement actions by the Office of Cannabis Management.
The proposal would amend state cannabis law to clarify that when the office establishes probable cause of unlawful conduct under the section, it may carry out reasonable searches and seize products including cannabis, cannabinoid hemp, hemp extracts and other labeled items found in the possession of a person engaged in the conduct being investigated.
The bill also makes clear that these searches could include businesses and vehicles used for such activity, as long as the searches are conducted in what the legislation describes as a reasonable manner. The text says the searches would be administrative in nature and designed to detect violations of the state’s regulatory system while helping guarantee consistency and regularity in how the law is applied.
If approved, the measure would take effect immediately.
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