CANTON, New York (WWNY) – Canton lawmakers are considering a crackdown on illegal cannabis sales.

“We want to see what we can do to prevent future problems,” said Mayor Michael Dalton.

The state Department of Health says there’s no guarantee unregulated cannabis products aren’t laced with something else.

The now-closed Canton Convenience Shop on Main Street was raided numerous times, the state says, for selling cannabis illegally.

Canton lawmakers are considering deterring illegal sales with legislation.

“We’re a ways away from coming up with any regulations concerning smoke shops and I think we all have some concerns, so that’s what we’re trying to address,” said Dalton.

Dalton says they will reference other local laws in the state regarding illegal sales of cannabis should they come up with their own.

You need a state license to sell weed legally. Peter Cullen, owner of Northern Lights Dispensary in Canton, has one.

When you’re a state-licensed cannabis dispensary, you need to follow a lot of rules, and while Cullen believes they are important to ensure safety, he admits it makes business more difficult when not everybody is playing by the same rules.

“It is frustrating. We do the best we can. We try to have different prices for everybody and things like that,” he said.

Cullen is limited on where he can advertise, has to do weekly inventory reports, can only sell products from New York State, and more.

He took risks too, buying property before knowing if he could sell. Those with a storefront are given preference, but ultimately, getting a license comes down to luck.

“You send in an application, fill out a lot of paperwork, financial records, and things like that. It was a lottery system. We got lucky and we won,” he said.

Cullen supports the village cracking down on illegal sales. It could help keep cannabis clean in Canton.

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