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.
"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.
