By New research highlights how underage buyers can easily access cannabis despite state regulations
New York, NY- For Immediate Release – Qwoted Newswire — A newly released study by Dr. Ryan Sultàn, assistant professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University and founder of Integrative Psych, reveals widespread noncompliance with age verification laws at New York City cannabis retailers. Published in Pediatrics, the study underscores a growing public health concern: underage access to cannabis remains alarmingly easy despite legal safeguards.
The research team found that 90 percent of unlicensed cannabis shops in New York City failed to check IDs at the door, and nearly half did not verify age at the point of sale, both of which are required by law. “I actually think a lot of parents would be surprised,” said Dr. Sultàn. “Cannabis is unequivocally harmful to adolescents, and yet access remains largely unchecked in many areas of the city.”
To assess how easily young people could obtain cannabis, research assistant Peter Menzi, age 22, went undercover as an underage customer. He helped map over 800 cannabis shops across all five boroughs and visited a representative sample in each. The assignment was simple: attempt to buy cannabis without presenting ID. The result? “There were virtually no roadblocks,” said Menzi. “Cannabis is actually easier to access than alcohol in many neighborhoods.”
Even some licensed dispensaries showed troubling lapses. In one case, a 21-year-old intern working with Dr. Sultàn’s team visited a state-licensed dispensary on the Lower East Side, equipped with a concealed camera. Despite having no ID, he was able to purchase an eighth of an ounce of cannabis for $35 after being instructed by an employee to simply provide a fake name. Notably, this case was an outlier; other licensed stores visited by the team did demonstrate proper age-verification protocols.
“Access to cannabis—particularly among youth—is becoming dangerously easy,” said Dr. Sultàn. “This isn’t about whether cannabis should be legal. It’s about whether the current system is capable of protecting young adults, whose developing brains are more susceptible to addiction and long-term harm.”
According to Dr. Sultàn, early exposure to cannabis can alter brain development and increase the risk of substance dependency later in life. “The biggest concern I have is that cannabis rewires the adolescent brain in ways that make it more prone to addiction,” he said.
In response to the findings, Taylor Randi Lee, a spokesperson for the New York State Office of Cannabis Management, emphasized that enforcement against unlicensed sellers and ID violations remains a top priority. “We take any violations seriously and will investigate and take appropriate action against any retailer found failing to properly ID customers,” Lee said.
The full study is now available in Pediatrics and adds to the growing body of research examining the real-world impact of cannabis legalization on youth safety.
About
Dr. Ryan Sultan, psychiatrist, is well known for his cannabis research, particularly how it affects children, and his practice, Integrative Psych, is awaiting approval from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) for an upcoming endeavor related to cannabis use disorder (CUD).
Dr. Sultan is also full-time faculty at Columbia University’s department of psychiatry where he directs the mental health informatics lab.
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Website: http://www.integrative-psych.org
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