Update: Ithaca venue owner listed in OCM accusations says her business never sold cannabis
Note: After this story was published, LakeWatch Inn management reached out to The Ithaca Journal. This story has been updated.
In response to a released list of businesses New York State’s Office of Cannabis Management said they sent cease and desist letters to on July 7, Nicole Reynolds, owner of LakeWatch Inn in Ithaca, says her business has never been associated with cannabis sales or hosting cannabis events.
While she says she verbally agreed late last year to host an event to provide cannabis education, upon consultation with Tompkins County law enforcement she denied the event’s organizers permission to hold the event at the LakeWatch Inn.
The Ithaca Journal reported on Feb. 17 that the event had been moved to a different location.
Reynolds said her business also did not receive a cease and desist letter from New York’s Office of Cannabis Management. When she spoke to OCM about the letters, Reynolds said she was told that OCM received their mailing back weeks later as non-deliverable.
“They sent it to our physical address with just 1636 East Shore Dr.,” said Reynolds. “There's no mailbox there.”
On its website, the LakeWatch Inn lists a PO Box mailing address in Lansing.
In an email response to LakeWatch Inn's claim that they did not receive a letter, OCM sent the following statement:
“The Office of Cannabis Management’s intent when sending out these letters was to get unlicensed cannabis sales to stop. We deeply appreciate all recipients of these letters who ceased to participate in any unlicensed cannabis sales. OCM’s intent is to discourage any unlicensed sale of cannabis and we are thankful to those who cooperated.”
New York State’s Office of Cannabis Management said they sent cease and desist letters to 52 illicit cannabis stores throughout the state, including stores in Ithaca and Elmira.
The letters warned the shops that failure to cease operations could bar them from receiving any future cannabis licenses in the state.
Among the area businesses listed were:
420 Novelties, Elmira
5 Star Tattoo, Elmira Heights
Bmillz, Elmira Heights
Exotic Gifts N Dreams LLC, Horseheads
420 Novz, Bath
Fat Daddy’s, Watkins Glen
Fat Daddy’s, Penn Yan
Fat Daddy’s, Elmira
Fat Daddy’s, Webster
Good Vibes Customs, Ithaca
Good Vibes Customs, Bath
Good Vibes Customs, Elmira
Lake Watch Inn Catering & Event Planning, Ithaca
Grateful Smoke & Gift Shop, Waverly
Mile High Accessories, Waverly
Mile High Accessories, Binghamton
The Ground Up, Waverly
In a statement, OCM then said the stores “falsely depict their operations as legal cannabis dispensaries, but they are not licensed by New York State and are selling untested products that put public health at risk.”
“There are no businesses currently licensed to sell adult-use cannabis in New York State. Selling any item or taking a donation, and then 'gifting' a customer a bag of untested cannabis does indeed count as a sale under New York’s Cannabis Law,” said Tremaine Wright, Chair of New York’s Cannabis Control Board.
The statement said the cannabis products sold in unlicensed shops (often referred to as “sticker” or “t-shirt” shops) are untested and put lives at risk. Unregulated vaping products labeled as containing THC have been cited by the CDC as the cause of acute respiratory distress.
“New Yorkers think they’re buying a high-quality, tested product when they aren’t,” said Chris Alexander, Executive Director of the Office of Cannabis Management.
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New York became the 15th state to legalize marijuana in 2021, making it immediately legal for anyone 21 years of age or older to possess, purchase, obtain or transport up to three ounces of cannabis in the state. Legalization also allowed for concentrated forms of cannabis (like oils) up to 24 grams.
So far, no adult-use retail licenses have been issued in the state, leaving the Medical Cannabis Program as only way to buy tested cannabis products.
“Licensed sales and a regulated market are the only way New York’s customers will be assured that the cannabis products they are purchasing have been tested and tracked from seed to sale,” said Wright.
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This article originally appeared on Ithaca Journal: LakeWatch Inn owner says venue, accused by state, never sold cannabis
