‘Buy legal’ ads are a laughable bid to counter illegal NYC pot shops

As if New York’s rollout of legal cannabis weren’t already a joke, here comes a state “buy legal” ad campaign.

This is the answer to the plague of illegal pot shops?

On Tuesday, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that the Office of Cannabis Management is rolling out the “Why Buy Legal New York” campaign in a bid to get stoners to patronize only licensed marijuana vendors.

And never mind that only eight legal shops have opened statewide.

The ads’ selling points are sad, too: Who’s going to worry about “promoting social equity and community reinvestment” when they just want to get high?

And who’ll watch, let along believe, videos where “licensed cannabis processors” explain that their product is “safer”?

Especially when it likely costs more, since legal shops must pay fees and taxes as the state tries to collect $1.25 billion in revenue from legal weed. 

One problem is that state law only allows for $250 fines on illegal shops, which they accept as the price of doing business as closed stores immediately re-open.

The obvious answer is nonstop enforcement on the rogue shops: Send inspection teams to shut them down and confiscate their stocks every day.

Opting for an ad campaign instead is just an admission of helplessness.