What the Bronx is saying about cannabis this week — the stories, the numbers and our read.
The Block is our running dissection of Bronx cannabis news and the conversation around it — community board votes, City Hall and state announcements, enforcement actions, state data releases and the threads that light up local forums. Each item: what happened, and what it means for you.
Our monthly deep-dive: Word on the Block: the Bronx dispensary debate, dissected. And when you want the legal stuff without the drama, a licensed Bronx cannabis dispensary on Third Avenue is always the safer buy.
The story: The borough's newest licensed dispensary opened on Fenton Avenue, bringing the Bronx to 23 open adult-use stores — still fewer than every borough but Staten Island.
Our read: Every new legal door in the North and East Bronx shrinks the gray market's reason to exist. Access, not enforcement, is what finally empties the smoke shops.
The story: A 2025 federal law limits hemp products to 0.4 mg of total THC per container and strips synthetic cannabinoids of hemp status beginning in November 2026. Congress has been debating a delay; none has passed.
Our read: The THCA flower and delta-8 vapes sold in bodegas are running out of legal cover. Licensed, lab-tested cannabis isn't affected.
The story: Community Connections for Youth's nine-month PODER Youth Leadership Collective graduated 13 justice-involved young people, paid for by the state's cannabis community reinvestment grants.
Our read: This is the part of the 13% tax you don't see at checkout — and the best argument for buying legal.
The story: Federal agents executed a search warrant at the Queens home of the former sheriff who led Operation Padlock. No arrests or charges have been announced.
Our read: The raids that padlocked hundreds of Bronx storefronts are now under a microscope. We'll follow any court filings.
The story: The Universal Hip Hop Museum pushed its full opening to spring 2027. Its Culture Lab at Bronx Terminal Market stays open Wednesday through Saturday.
Our read: One more year of waiting — but the Culture Lab is a solid Saturday stop in the meantime.
The story: New York counted 683 adult-use dispensaries as of June, with $895.4 million in sales through the first half of the year and per-unit prices down roughly 7% since January.
Our read: Good for your wallet, hard on small shops. Loyalty programs and first-time deals are where the real savings show up.
The story: The Sheriff's Office says the Pelham Gardens shop at 1334 E. Gun Hill Rd. reopened after being sealed; deputies seized more than 800 pounds of product and resealed it.
Our read: Despite the name on the awning, it was never a licensed dispensary. Look for the state verification sticker before you buy.
The story: The mayor replaced Anthony Miranda with Edwin Raymond, a retired NYPD lieutenant and whistleblower. Unlicensed-cannabis enforcement stays among the office's duties.
Our read: New leadership, same law. The question for Bronx blocks is style: fewer sweeps, more cases?
The story: Sheriff's deputies and federal Homeland Security Investigations agents seized more than 500 pounds from the Timpson Place shop and 300-plus pounds from a van; two people were arrested.
Our read: Three raids in under two years tells you how profitable — and how untested — the gray market still is.
The story: A city marshal serving an eviction found a five-room hydroponic grow with illegally rewired power in a Pelham Parkway South apartment.
Our read: Illegal grows aren't a victimless hobby — rewired power is a fire risk for everyone in the building.
The story: Residents objected to Victory Dispensary opening about a block from Say Less on East Tremont Avenue; the owners promised armed security and ID scanning.
Our read: Two shops on one block is a first for the East Bronx. Competition usually means better prices — and a real test of neighborhood tolerance.
The story: The same board that split 13–10 on Victory voted unanimously to recommend a license at 1446 Williamsbridge Rd.
Our read: Siting fights are about the block, not the board. Show up at your community board meeting if you want a say.
