Black market cannabis thrives in California despite legalization

Department of Cannabis Control detectives, with Long Beach law enforcement, prepare to serve a search warrant on an unlicensed marijuana store in Long Beach, Calif., on March 5, 2024. Last year California's Cannabis Enforcement Taskforce served more than 300 search warrants on unlicensed operations in the state.Department of Cannabis Control detectives, with Long Beach law enforcement, prepare to serve a search warrant on an unlicensed marijuana store in Long Beach, Calif., on March 5, 2024.

Wilson Linares, commander of the L.A. County law enforcement division of the California Dept. of Cannabis Control, shows a sampling of the unlicensed cannabis edibles seized from a black market store in Long Beach, Calif., on March 5.Jones, however, focuses on what law enforcement did — or rather, what it didn't do — in the first few years after the vote to allow a licensed weed industry.

Linares says some of the unlicensed stores are identified with the green cross emblem, borrowed from the medical marijuana movement that predated recreational stores. Another clue, though, is the level of security. The ostensible cabinet store in Long Beach has a heavy metal door and security grates over mirrored windows.California Department of Cannabis Control detectives lock the premises after serving a search warrant on an unlicensed dispensary in Long Beach, Calif., on March 5, 2024.

The black market in California also benefits from the restrictions on the licensed competitors, such as the fact that only aboutCalifornia cannabis buyers are often unaware of — or indifferent to — the legality of the product they buy, but they do notice prices. Depending on the jurisdiction,California Department of Cannabis Control detectives, with support of Long Beach Law enforcement serve a search warrant and remove cannabis products at an unlicensed dispensary in Long Beach, Calif.

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