State agency closes Liverpool cannabis business operating as a ‘private club’

Liverpool, N.Y. — A business that bills itself as a private club for cannabis users has had one of its locations closed by the state cannabis regulation agency.

The Herbal Center at 612 Oswego St. in Liverpool was shut down Wednesday, according to a sign posted in its window. The closure came after the state cannabis agency assisted Liverpool village police in executing a search warrant.

“During the search, investigators found illicit cannabis inside the store,” according to a statement from Taylor Randi Lee, press secretary for the state Office of Cannabis Management. “OCM issued an Order To Seal the location, which can be issued when a location is engaged in unlicensed activity, and when that activity poses an imminent threat to public health, safety and welfare. As a result, the business was closed.”

The sign on the business window reads: “Warning: This business is sealed by order of the Cannabis Control Board” and in large red letters says “Illicit Cannabis Seized.”

The Cannabis Control Board is the regulatory division of the New York State Office of Cannabis Management. Among other things, it enforces a state law that requires businesses to have a license to sell cannabis.

It’s the second legal action taken against a location of The Herbal Center in the past few weeks.

In June, a State Supreme Court judge issued an injunction prohibiting cannabis sales and consumption at The Herbal Center’s location at 916 N. Salina St.

In that case, the state cannabis agency was not involved and the business was not ordered closed. The injunction stemmed from action taken by the city of Syracuse to shut the business, and lawsuits that followed.

In his ruling, made after a bench trial, State Supreme Court Justice James Murphy concluded that The Herbal Center was “knowingly and defiantly” selling cannabis without obtaining a state license.

The Herbal Center did not respond to a message seeking comment on the Liverpool closure. Lawyer Brady O’Malley, who represents The Herbal Center in the Syracuse cases, has also not yet responded to a message from syracuse.com.

A separate lawsuit against the city filed by the owner of the Syracuse property where the The Herbal Center is located has not been settled. It accuses the city of exceeding its authority in trying to regulate the business.

The Herbal Center has two other locations, at 110 W. Manlius St. in East Syracuse and the newest one at 3078 East Ave. in Central Square.

The Herbal Center calls itself a “private cannabis club” and notes free membership for those 21 and older. In some Facebook posts, it also says it can deliver “products” to your door.

In a Facebook message posted June 27 after the court injunction, The Herbal Center wrote, “We are a professional organization that focuses on cannabis education culture and safety. We also carry all smoking accessories for our members and have our own lifestyle brands. THC will be here years from now as a cannabis brand that is supported by people even outside of the Central New York area and in fact across the country.”

“Our culture and roots are very deeply rooted in the culture and industry. People truly love us and we love them. Its more then a business to us. It’s our passion. We are also bigger than just NY. We always have been and will be a private organization despite what some think. We have membership agreements for a reason… ”

The message also addresses the ongoing lawsuit against the city of Syracuse. “Our lawsuit … against the city will clearly show and prove overreach, unprofessionalism, and furthermore harassment.”