California authorities seized $30 million worth of unlicensed cannabis products since the rollout of the state’s legal market in January 2018, but industry insiders say that’s far short of what’s needed to stamp out the black market.
The Bureau of Cannabis Control (BCC) worked with local law enforcement agencies to serve 25 warrants against unlicensed retailers, seizing about 4,000 pounds of cannabis products and almost $220,000 in cash, according to the Los Angeles Times.
However, Lindsay Robinson, the executive director of the California Cannabis Industry Association, estimated that thousands of illegal retailers and delivery services still are operating in the state.
She suggested the number of warrants served should be much higher.
The BCC isn’t running every enforcement effort.
One action last month by the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office netted 20 tons of cannabis from a cultivation operation, where the local sheriff said the targeted grow obtained state cultivation permits through fraud.
And other state agencies such as the Department of Fish and Wildlife have assisted in enforcement, the Times noted.
That department teamed up with the Trinity County Sheriff’s office to serve 15 warrants and seize over 12,000 illegal MJ plants, 801 pounds of processed cannabis and $435,000 in cash – in June alone.
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