SAM Urges Zohran Mamdani To Prioritize Addressing Growing Concerns Over Weed Legalization
New York City – A new Emerson College poll commissioned by Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) paints a clear picture: New Yorkers are fed up with the realities of marijuana legalization.
Despite promises of safety, equity, and tax revenue, the majority of New Yorkers now say legalization has failed to improve safety in their communities—while others say it has made things worse. The poll of 500 New Yorkers also found that nearly 80% oppose unrestricted public marijuana smoking and almost 60% of New Yorkers are bothered by frequent marijuana smells in public.
These poll results arrive amid increased efforts by state and city officials to rein in illegal marijuana shops and growing public frustration over the socially corrosive effects of marijuana normalization.
Those effects are why only one in four New Yorkers believe legalization has made their community safer.
“This poll is a referendum on our failed marijuana experiment,” said SAM President Dr. Kevin Sabet, who also resides in New York City. “New Yorkers were promised safety, order, and equity. Instead, we got neighborhoods overrun with pot shops, dangerous street sales, and marijuana smoke filling the air everywhere we go. You can’t walk down the streets of New York without smelling weed, from sidewalks and playgrounds to apartment buildings and parks. Marijuana and our lax approach to it are lowering our quality of life in ways that many did not anticipate.
“We extend our congratulations to Zohran Mamdani for his primary victory and urge him to take seriously the growing concerns voiced by everyday New Yorkers about the unchecked consequences of marijuana legalization. Public support for legalization is eroding amid rising illegal dispensaries, marijuana smoke flooding our public spaces, and increasing youth access to dangerous THC products.
“New York City deserves leadership that prioritizes public health and safety over industry profits. We call on Mamdani, if elected, to make a firm commitment: Close the enforcement gaps, protect our neighborhoods from the black market, and ensure that children are not targeted by commercial marijuana.”
Only 25 percent of respondents believe that marijuana legalization has made their communities safer. These findings come as a growing number of residents express frustration over the surge of illegal storefronts and the proliferation of high-potency, kid-aimed THC products.
Public exposure to marijuana has become a consistent concern. According to the poll, 46.5 percent of New Yorkers report frequently smelling marijuana in public spaces. When asked how much this bothered them, 27.4 percent said “a great deal” and another 29.8 percent said “somewhat.” Almost 60 percent of respondents, in other words, are negatively affected by marijuana.
Voters were also asked about their views on marijuana use in public. Only 20 percent supported unrestricted public marijuana smoking. In contrast, nearly 80 percent believe it should either be banned outright (29.4 percent) or confined to designated smoking areas (50.5 percent). A clearer rejection of New York’s open-use culture could not be imagined.
These concerns transcend political and demographic lines. The sample included 64.8 percent registered Democrats, and nearly 30 percent of respondents identified as Hispanic or Black—highlighting the broad and bipartisan unease over how legalization has unfolded.
These public frustrations echo growing concern among elected officials and law enforcement leaders. Governor Kathy Hochul prioritized the crackdown on unlicensed retailers, authorizing enforcement actions to shut down illegal operations she has called a threat to public safety; New York City Mayor Eric Adams adopted a zero-tolerance policy for illegal grow houses after fires and explosions were linked to indoor marijuana cultivation.
The poll results underscore that the state’s approach to legalization has failed to deliver on its core promises. Rather than eliminating the illicit market, legalization has emboldened it. Instead of reducing youth exposure, it has increased access to flavored and edible products that mimic candy and snacks. Public spaces, once assumed to be safe and family-friendly, now frequently reek of marijuana smoke.
In light of these findings, SAM urges New York’s leaders to take immediate corrective action. This is not a call for a return to an enforcement-only model but rather for intensified enforcement against illegal marijuana sales, stricter regulations on youth-targeted marketing and packaging, and the launch of robust youth prevention and public awareness campaigns.
“Legalization was sold as progress,” noted Dr. Sabet. “It’s not: It’s a regression to New York’s bad old days. It’s beyond time to put the health and safety of New Yorkers before the addiction industry’s profits.”