Two Illegal Weed Shops Near Brandeis HS Raided, But One Open for Business Next Day

Two illegal weed shops on the UWS that each operated less than a block away from the Brandeis High School campus were raided on Jan. 30

But one was open within a day of the raid, the West Side Spirit found.

Normally, such raids would be conducted by the city’s Sheriff’s Office at the behest of the Office of Cannabis Management, but oddly that was not the case in this situation.

Council member Gale Brewer confirmed to the West Side Spirit that a raid had taken place. She said she was notified about the raids by the commanding officer of the 20th Pct., Deputy Inspector Candida Sullivan, who replaced deputy inspector Neil Zuber in the top job in in the precinct in late December. An NYPD spokesperson directed our calls to the Sheriff’s Office but the sheriff’s office told us days later that they were not involved. It appears to have been a rare police department raid on an illegal weed shop.

Brewer said the raids were conducted at Holiday Candy Convenience on 493 W. 84th St. and 85 Convenient Store 523 W. 85th St. both located near Amsterdam Ave and within a block of the Brandeis High School Campus, which houses five schools.

When the West Side Spirit visited on Jan. 31st, the 85 Convenient Store was closed, its shelves visibly emptied. In contrast, Holiday Candy Convenience on W. 84th St. was fully operational. A salesperson there described the “raid” as a “routine inspection.”

Both shops made little effort to mask that they are marijuana shops, rather than conventional convenience stores. The accessibility of marijuana to school children, particularly during school hours, is a specific worry in the community and to city council member Brewer, who represents the area.

“The reason I focus on this one is they are within 500 feet of Brandeis High School,” Brewer told the West Side Spirit. “Liquor stores, not to mention illegal [marijuana] stores, are not supposed to be close to a school,” she said. Residents of the neighborhood are highly upset and want them closed, she said.

In a survey conducted by Brewer’s office in 2022, 26 illegal cannabis shops were identified in the Upper West Side. Since October 2022, she has concentrated her efforts on addressing unlicensed smoke shops in proximity to schools. However, much of these endeavors have yielded frustrating outcomes, as the shops tend to reopen after raids. “I’ve been out with the sheriff. I’ve talked to the police. I’ve talked to the district attorney. I’ve talked to the city hall. I’ve talked to the corporation council. And you can see how frustrated I am,” Brewer said.

Rachel Dahill-Fuchel, a resident of the area and an educator, expressed her concern, stating, “The young people in the neighborhood have a lot more access to pot.”

She is particularly worried about children self-medicating with marijuana, especially during school hours. According to her, this points to the insufficient resources available to address the underlying reasons behind their choice to use marijuana at such a young age.

Ashley Gerten, another resident, mentioned that while the smoke shops don’t bother her much but the weed odor is notably high around the high schools.

Brewer continues her efforts to permanently close the shops and is collaborating with the state to conduct additional raids. Her goal is to escalate the matter to court and secure court orders for the shops to be padlocked.

Estimates on the number of illegal weed shops in the city vary. Most officials cite the number of about 1,500 illegal smoke shops. But some estimate that there may be as many as 8,000 illegal shops, generating $2 billion a year in largely untaxed revenue. The tax revenue from legal cannabis shops across the state last year was estimated to be under $200 million.