BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Governor Kathy Hochul is trying to keep people from using Google Maps to get to a drug dealer.
The New York governor is demanding that Google Maps stop providing directions and displaying reviews for illegal pot shops in the Empire State.
She says the state has 77 licensed cannabis retailers and estimates 1,500 others are operating illegally, taking away money from the industry and state.
Now Hochul is calling on tech giants like Meta and Google to stop promoting illegal cannabis shops on their platforms.
Hochul said, “So, I say to them, ‘Let us help you. Let us give you the list of legal vendors.’ I know who’s legal, we all know who’s legal, and then you have a responsibility to make sure that you’re not posting the location of illegal shops. Now I’m calling on all these platforms to step up, do the right thing, and be part of the solution. Don’t be complicit in helping jeopardize the public health and the livelihoods of these legitimate business owners.”
Hochul also had renewed calls for stronger cannabis laws in the state, saying that while illicit shops are fined or asked to close, they can stay open and make money during appeals – something Hochul hopes to change.