A new cannabis dispensary in Brooklyn has come under fire for painting over a mural of late rap legend and native son Christopher Wallace, better known as The Notorious B.I.G.
It was a B.I.G. mistake.
A cherished mural of late rap legend and Brooklyn native The Notorious B.I.G. was painted over in Bushwick after a pot shop moved into the building — sparking outrage among proud Brooklynites.
The owners of Emerald cannabis dispensary said they were forced to cover the homage — a portrait of a young Biggie Smalls, whose real name was Christopher Wallace — because the New York Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) said it violated advertising regulations.
“We didn’t want to take it down,” Emerald dispensary co-founder Christina De Giovanni told The Post about the mural, which depicted the “Juicy” rapper as a baby with the word “Brooklyn” in large block letters in the background.
De Giovanni said the mural had adorned the exterior wall of 85 Suydam St. for about three years before the dispensary moved into the space, which had previously been a church called House of Pray.
She said they loved the tribute and wanted to keep it up, however, the (OCM), which regulates the sale of legal marijuana in the Empire State, warned them that leaving the mural in place could jeopardize the store’s opening when state inspectors came by for a visit.
“[The state compliance officer] said, ‘if the inspector sees it and says no, you’re going to have to delay your opening,’” De Giovanni said.
She said was told OCM regulations prohibit any “enticement” in any store signage.
The rules state that this includes outdoor signs that are “affixed to a building or permanent structure” and are “for the purpose of alerting individuals to the location of a retail dispensary.”
Only the name of the business, nature of the business, store hours, address and phone number are allowed to be displayed, according to the regulations.
