Weed-Selling Van On Upper East Side Goes Up In Smoke, Police Say

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — A mini-bus that reportedly sold marijuana products on a busy Upper East Side street for more than a month was finally removed by police this week, according to the NYPD and a news report.

The green vehicle that appeared on East 86th Street last month was towed on Tuesday after police responded to residents' complaints, the NYPD's 19th Precinct said on Facebook. Police also issued a summons for unlicensed mobile food vending, an NYPD spokesperson told Patch.

With signs bearing the name "Uncle Budd's," the vehicle had been doling out real-life bags of marijuana, joints and edible cannabis products, according to Upper East Site, which first reported on the odd enterprise. It appeared designed to take advantage of the state's recent legalization of marjiuana — which does not yet allow weed sales — by accepting payments only as "donations."

The vehicle caught the attention of Assemblymember Rebecca Seawright — in a hearing on Tuesday, the lawmaker told the state's Health Commissioner, Dr. Mary Bassett, that constituents had complained about a "green food truck" selling cannabis products in exchange for donations. (Bassett said she was unaware, but pledged that "We’ll look into it and contact our colleagues in the city.")

A website for the business, known as "The Green Truck," continues to advertise a mobile location on East 86th Street between Lexington and Third avenues — plus other locations in Harlem, the Upper West Side and Lower Manhattan.

"Every Uncle Budd's donation is going back into the community," reads the website, which also includes a menu of available products. Edibles listed for sale include M&M's, sour Life Savers, Nerds, Gushers, and "dank gummies" — all apparently infused with THC.

Police did not mention any drug-related charges against the bus's owners. Before it was towed, officers had also visited the van on Monday after getting a 911 call about an illegally-parked vehicle near 86th Street and Lexington Avenue, according to the NYPD.

"The bus undermines the legal cannabis industry in [New York state]," Seawright tweeted Wednesday, thanking the NYPD for removing the vehicle.