Legal marijuana sales are set to begin in New York later this month, which is a little confusing if you’ve walked down a city street recently and noticed that the stuff is being openly sold from storefronts across the five boroughs.

It’s a quandary for local officials: they’ve already gotten on board with the idea that weed should be legal, and that the war on drugs that for decades criminalized its sellers was a big mistake. At the same time, the new legal industry that is being counted on for tax revenue and an economic boost — led by people with past pot convictions — will go nowhere if it’s cut off at the knees by black market competition.

Ahead of the imminent kickoff of the official market, New York City is launching a crackdown on all of those smoke shops, bodegas and unlicensed dispensaries. As part of a two-week blitz, authorities have seized more than 600 pounds of pot and other illegal products worth more than $4 million, and slapped hundreds of businesses with fines, Mayor Eric Adams said.

They’re stopping short in most cases of shutting the businesses down, though, and Adams said they want to avoid incarceration — though the blitz did include two felony arrests for criminal possession for sellers found with unusually high quantities of pot.

“We have watched as other municipalities have gotten it wrong. We’ve watched and learned. We want to make sure we get it right,” Adams said. “And it’s under threat. It’s under threat from unlicensed establishments that are selling illegal and counterfeit products.”

If you’re the kind of discerning customer who wants to make sure the weed you’re buying is legal, the state will also be lending a helping hand. They will post a new verification symbol in the windows of licensed dispensaries, plus a stamp on each product sold to make sure you’re getting the real thing.

IT’S FRIDAY. Got tips, suggestions or thoughts? What would you like to see in 2023 from this newsletter? Drop us a line and some holiday cheer … by email: [email protected] and [email protected], or on Twitter: @erinmdurkin and @annagronewold

WHERE’S KATHY? In Albany with no announced public schedule.

WHERE’S ERIC? Hosting a Retail Theft Summit in New York City and attending a reception hosted by President Joe Biden in Washington, D.C.

QUOTE OF THE DAY — “They showed a little bit too much compassion. … They must have the killer instinct.” — Mayor Eric Adams explaining that the candidates he has spoken to so far for the city’s new rat czar position have fallen short and the job is still open.

— WATCH: A mashup of all the times Adams has talked about rats. Someone get some auto-tune on this.

“NYC Council proposes housing construction targets for every neighborhood,” by New York Daily News’ Chris Sommerfeldt and Michael Gartland: “A set number of apartments would have to be built in every New York City neighborhood as part a housing plan rolled out Thursday by Council Speaker Adrienne Adams. The plan is the Council’s response to the city’s deepening housing crisis, and aims to boost affordability by drastically increasing housing supply in every corner of the five boroughs — even in areas where, historically, the city has been met with resistance from residents.”

“In New York Neighborhood, Police and Tech Company Flout Privacy Policy, Advocates Say,” by Bloomberg’s Fola Akinnibi and Sarah Holder: “It was sold as a way to improve police response and catch incidents not reported to 911: “Sensors placed around a city would ‘listen’ for gunshots and transmit the information to officers. But the ShotSpotter Inc. technology concerned privacy advocates who worried that if police knew where the devices were placed, they could improperly use the always-on microphones to pick up private conversations.

"ShotSpotter always had a response for critics: Police don’t know the sensors’ locations and therefore can’t target their listening. But newly obtained emails show that in one New York precinct, the relationship between police and ShotSpotter was closer than previously known, as the company shared the addresses it was targeting for sensors with police and asked for their help encouraging residents to agree to their installation.”

“Wastewater can predict COVID-19 surges, but NYC’s data remains hard to find,” by Gothamist’s Betsy Ladyzhets: “Since early 2020, New York City has become a pioneer of wastewater surveillance, a method of tracking diseases in sewage that gained prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic. But city agencies are not being transparent about what they’re finding in our waste or how the data is used to inform public health decisions, according to a monthslong reporting collaboration between Gothamist and MuckRock.”

“City Hall ‘anxious’ over Title 42, Adams says ‘no one’ helping NYC migrant surge,” by New York Post’s Bernadette Hogan, Craig McCarthy and David Propper: “Mayor Eric Adams and his team are worried a steady flow of migrants to New York City will turn into a flood when a Trump-era immigration order ends next week — with the mayor also expressing growing anxiety that neither Gov. Kathy Hochul nor President Biden have offered a helping hand. Top City Hall officials — including Office of Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol, Department of Social Services Commissioner Gary Jenkins and City Hall senior adviser Tiffany Raspberry — held a Zoom conference call where Title 42 came up repeatedly, several sources told The Post.”

“Lawmakers eyeing salary increases, limits on outside income,” by Times Union’s Joshua Solomon: “If the Legislature's Democratic supermajority is to quickly move through a pay raise and limits on outside income, it could leave at least three dozen returning lawmakers with the prospect of having to give up their private sector earnings, according to a review of financial disclosures. It would likely affect about the same number of Democrats and Republicans, based on their 2021 reported incomes and job descriptions. Lawmakers have not been told if a special session will take place next week, but the topic has been circulating at the Capitol this month.”

“Hochul says no to tax increases in the next budget,” by Spectrum’s Nick Reisman: “Hochul, elected to a full term in Nov in ember, dismissed the idea of raising taxes during a news conference in which she also highlighted a year's worth of accomplishments. The governor pointed to rebate checks sent to property taxpayers earlier this year as well as a faster phase in of a tax rate cut aimed at middle-income earners in the state.”

“Hochul signs law banning sale of dogs, cats, rabbits in retail stores,” by Newsday’s Michael Gormley: “Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday signed the “puppy mill pipeline” bill to ban the sale of dogs, cats and rabbits at retail stores in a measure aimed at stopping the trade by abusive breeders. The law sponsored by Sen. Michael Gianaris (D-Queens) and Assemb. Linda Rosenthal (D-Manhattan), will take effect in 2024 to allow pet stores to make arrangements to charge animal shelters rent to use their space for adoption of pets.”

“N.Y. Attorney General Letitia James protected chief staff who was accused of sexual harassment: lawsuit,” by Daily News’ Molly Crane-Newman and Michael Gartland: “New York Attorney General Letitia James is accused of protecting her ousted chief of staff despite allegations that he sexually harassed colleagues, according to a bombshell lawsuit filed Thursday. The suit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court was brought by James’ former aide Sofia Quintanar.’”

#UpstateAmerica: Another big lake effect storm is brewing this weekend.

— Security cameras in the Brooklyn subway station where a mass shooting took place last spring had malfunctioned days before the attack, but the outage went unnoticed.

— A fire that destroyed an NYPD evidence warehouse could have an impact on cold cases and exonerations for years to come.

— The Tonawanda GOP chairman who often shared sexist, antisemitic, homophobic or demeaning Facebook memes has resigned.

— Western New York political operative G. Steven Pigeon’s trial on child rape charges has been scheduled for December 2023.

— A labor union and City Council members are asking the Parks Department to change bidding rules so that unions can object to contracts with private companies.

— An independent arbitrator ruled that the city must negotiate a new Medicare Advantage plan for retirees in 25 days.

— A Bronx construction worker was killed in a job site incident.

— The City Councilheld a hearing on a bill that would increase fines for idling vehicles.

— An appeals court ruled that Yeshiva University must recognize an LGBTQ student group.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Jake Sherman … Peter Orszag … Lesley Stahl …CNN’s Phil Mattingly, Liz Turrell and Jason Seher … Bloomberg’s Rebecca Rainey … Jenni LeCompte of FGS Global … Tom Joannou … David Crook … Heather King … Elisa Beneze … Joan Lowy … Kendall Breitman

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — The office of city Comptroller Brad Lander is creating a new position dedicated to labor rights and enforcement. Claudia Henriquez will be the first director of workers rights, working on expanding labor outreach, advocacy and enforcement, and overseeing the Bureau of Labor Law, which sets and enforces prevailing wage and benefit rates. Henriquez was formerly director of litigation at the Office of Labor Policy and Standards of the NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection. She will report to Alison Hirsh, who is now chief strategy officer for the comptroller’s office. She was formerly a senior adviser.

MAKING MOVES — Maya Kurien has been named vice president of advocacy at the Real Estate Board of New York’s government team. She was formerly VP of policy and planning. Anna Lis joined REBNY as vice president for state legislative affairs, Daniel Avery as director of policy, Adele Reardon as policy analyst, and Madeline DeCerbo as senior urban planner. Lis was formerly deputy director and chief of staff of state legislative affairs in the mayor’s office, Avery was director of legislative affairs for the Building Owners & Managers Association of Greater New York, Reardon was senior associate at Tucker Green & Co, and DeCerbo was Northeast Logistics Field Research Analyst at CBRE. …

… Caitlin O'Connell has joined PayPal’s small and medium business marketing team. She most recently was marketing manager at Bloomberg Industry Group and is a POLITICO alum.

MEDIAWATCH — David Brand is joining WNYC as a housing reporter. He formerly covered housing at City Limits. Kerry Shaw is joining WNYC as assistant day-of editor. She has been a frequent contributor to The Trace and other outlets.

“N.Y.C. Community Boards Usually Oppose New Housing. Not This One,” by The New York Times’ Mihir Zaveri: “Few obstacles to new housing loom as large as powerful neighbors who dislike the idea of new construction. And few residents can be quite as loud or influential as New York City’s community boards, which have a reputation for giving priority to a neighborhood’s character and pushing back on new development. With the city confronting a staggering housing crisis, however, one community board is pursuing an unusual path: calling for the development of nearly 23,000 new homes, including roughly 1,400 affordable to lower-income New Yorkers, in its Manhattan neighborhoods.”

“Lawmakers, advocates press Gov. Hochul for fossil fuel ban in new construction,” by Gothamist’s Michelle Bocanegra: “Lawmakers and environmental advocates urged Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday to include a statewide fossil fuel ban on all new construction in her upcoming executive budget, nearly a year after the governor announced the electrification of new buildings as a priority for her administration. Elected officials and activists stood in front of a soon-to-be-constructed, all-electric tower in Brooklyn to press Hochul to mandate the electrification of all new buildings throughout the state via her state budget proposal, typically unveiled in January.”

“One of NYC’s Biggest Co-Ops Considers Ban on E-Bikes in Response to Battery Fire Fears,” by The City’s Greg B. Smith: “The iconic London Terrace Towers is one of the biggest co-ops in the city, with 700 units and a dominating presence in West Chelsea. It is also in the middle of a new and growing debate about banning e-bikes from residential properties due to fear about them sparking fires. The number of fires started by the lithium-ion batteries that power these now ubiquitous vehicles has spiked to nearly 200 so far this year, way up from 44 just two years ago, according to the FDNY.”