New York Governor Kathy Hochul is calling on major social networks to help combat the spread of illegal cannabis in her state.
She told the New York Post that Google and others “knowingly allow illegal stores to promote unlicensed products on their platforms.”
“I’m calling on them to cease promotion of all illegal cannabis shops,” Hochul said in a statement obtained by the publication.
The statement follows a letter from licensed cannabis operators, urging Hochul to investigate the role of Google, Meta and others in the proliferation of illegal cannabis.
Those companies said the state should consider suing social networks for “false advertising.”
New York officials said in January they inspected 60 shops suspected of selling unlicensed cannabis.
They said they seized 371 pounds of flower, 359 pounds of edibles and 29 pounds of concentrate with a total estimated value of about $3.4 million.
