ltecato
Well-Known Member
The battle against the lucrative business of illegal marijuana dispensaries in California
Though recreational marijuana has been legal in California for over a year, local authorities continue to crack down on black market cannabis dispensaries, including in Los Angeles County.
abc7.com
"A study by BDS Analytics projects the legal market is on track to reach $3.1 billion in 2019 sales but, the illegal market will generate $8.7 billion."
Also: "Wald said the black market is thriving because only 20% of California cities allow cannabis dispensaries and the penalties are weak for operators."
And this: "Deputies detained three employees and a security guard at the shop called OG's and OZ's located on Whittier Boulevard. It's hard for customers to tell the shop doesn't have a license because they're handed fake receipts, the dispensary sells its own swag and has all different types of cannabis and edibles. Over $10,000 was collected during the bust."
I've never been to OG's and OZ's but I have gone to places in Whittier that are probably black market operations. I did not know these places were illegal at the time (duh!) but after I had been there once or twice I noticed things that made me think they might not have all their legal paperwork in order. For instance, they have no signs outside identifying the building as a dispensary. They look like some other kind of business like an auto-repair or smog-check shop. They post a fake address on WeedMaps and you have to call on a phone and talk to an employee to find out where they are really located. They also shut down a site without warning and pop up again in a building nearby with a different name.