A Times analysis in May found more than 200 illegal marijuana dispensaries operating in L.A.“This is really a Los Angeles phenomenon…. In California, the black market for cannabis is three times the size of its regulated weed industry, a problem most glaring in Los Angeles. The state has been under pressure from California’s legal industry to do more to stop the underground pot economy, which in Los Angeles and other cities often operates in plain sight. According to some estimates, about 75% of sales in the state remain under the table, snatching profits from legal storefronts.Investigators served search warrants at 24 unlicensed shops from Tuesday through Thursday. State regulators mounted dozens of raids against illegal marijuana retailers in Los Angeles this week, the largest crackdown to date against the city’s thriving black market, officials said Friday.
State regulators mounted dozens of raids against illegal marijuana retailers in Los Angeles this week, the largest crackdown to date against the city’s thriving black market, officials said Friday.
The state has been under pressure from California’s legal industry to do more to stop the underground pot economy, which in Los Angeles and other cities often operates in plain sight. According to some estimates, about 75% of sales in the state remain under the table, snatching profits from legal storefronts.
Investigators served search warrants at 24 unlicensed shops from Tuesday through Thursday. They seized $8.8 million...
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