BUSHWICK, Brooklyn (PIX11) -- Disappointment hangs heavy in the air alongside the aroma of cannabis in Bushwick, where a vibrant mural honoring hip-hop legend Biggie Smalls has mysteriously disappeared.
The artwork, depicting a young Christopher Wallace, once graced the wall of the new Emerald Dispensary. But in a clash with New York's strict cannabis regulations, it has been shrouded in anti-graffiti paint, sparking both frustration and confusion in the community.
"When the shop came, the mural left," lamented one local resident.
Another expressed the impact it had.
"It was definitely impactful to me to see that it wasn't here," another resident said.
However, the fight isn't over. Christina De Giovanni, CEO of the dispensary, emerged as an unexpected champion for the mural. Upon taking over the space in August, she prioritized its preservation.
However, regulations from the New York Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) threw a wrench in her plans. The rules, she said, prohibit any "enticement" in dispensary signage, forcing her to take drastic measures.
"We put anti-graffiti paint over everything," De Giovanni revealed, hoping that one-day OCM regulations might change, allowing them to power wash the paint off and reveal the mural again.
The current rules permit only basic information like name and address on dispensary signs, leaving no room for logos or artwork deemed "enticement."
De Giovanni isn't taking this lying down. With the mural's fate hanging in the balance, she's taking the fight to OCM head-on.
"We're going to do everything we can to change this regulation," she declared, holding onto a sliver of hope."There's still hope at the end of the tunnel."
PIX11 News reached out to OCM but did not immediately receive a response.
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