Inside California’s Black Market Weed Boom

Inside California’s Black Market Weed Boom

California voters approved recreational marijuana five years ago, joining a club that has now grown to 18 states and Washington, D.C. The hope was legalization would eventually put illicit operations out of business. But instead, the opposite is happening: The underground market is booming, causing some to warn the regulated system is teetering toward collapse.

Business owners face steep taxes and costly red tape, and consumers are finding that better deals can be had outside of licensed stores. We embedded with law enforcement during raids of outlaw operations and spoke with illegal growers and dealers about the market realities in California’s weed economy.

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49 Comments

  1. harmful house on June 20, 2022 at 8:05 pm

    Работа мечты



  2. J Braz on June 20, 2022 at 8:07 pm

    Those cops don’t have anything better to do



  3. Ivan Chavez on June 20, 2022 at 8:07 pm

    How stupid to be expanded like that illegally. They are probably making thousands and could go legit and yet you risk all your product being burnt or destroyed for a misdemeanor.



  4. Star Gazer on June 20, 2022 at 8:07 pm

    Why are the illegal farms illegal, if marijuana was legalized?



  5. John Smith on June 20, 2022 at 8:07 pm

    Back in the ’70’s a lid literally looked like grass clippings and the average THC was under 1% Yet it still had a pretty damned powerful effect with not a large quantity. I’m thinking, now, that there must’ve been some other additive to give it a kick. That’s why black market grows need to be shut down, because you don’t know what the hell they’ve done to it.



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  7. Orange Gold on June 20, 2022 at 8:09 pm

    Man u ain’t ever going wipe out the growers out why u guys at so crazy it’s just like growing tress but it’s ok Walmart sells you everything there called entrepreneurs it’s because the government can’t tax it



  8. John Smith on June 20, 2022 at 8:09 pm

    So they sent an entire army out for a misdemeanor??Guns drawn, ready to kill? What’s the phrase I’m looking for? Fucked-up waste of time & money. That’s it.



  9. mark costello on June 20, 2022 at 8:11 pm

    Can’t watch this massacre, traumatised



  10. bubble caprice 96 on June 20, 2022 at 8:14 pm

    answer: stop being greedy and open the free market. 😂 telling the feds “stop being greedy” guess im a wishful thinker



  11. Star Gazer on June 20, 2022 at 8:17 pm

    Over tax the legal market, and a black market appears. Who would have seen that coming?



  12. Relentless Ohio on June 20, 2022 at 8:20 pm

    I think America will collapse before we ever even get close to making it just an every day legal substance for adults with a few stipulations.

    It’s just not happening. Too much greed, too many ignorant views on it that aren’t even backed by any logic or reason despite massive evidence of benefits, etc.

    Just like everything else in this country, ass backwards.



  13. Rodney J. on June 20, 2022 at 8:21 pm

    If the government was so dam greedy it would work better.



  14. Robert Thomas (Rob) on June 20, 2022 at 8:21 pm

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  15. Kiethan Blas on June 20, 2022 at 8:21 pm

    Anything for the government to make a buck



  16. cop blocker on June 20, 2022 at 8:22 pm

    END THE SCAM DRUG WAR NOW AND DEFUND THE DEA



  17. Ben Маrtinez on June 20, 2022 at 8:22 pm

    Ha the comments are hilarious thanks black markets.



  18. Richard on June 20, 2022 at 8:23 pm

    Sucks to live in california 😂



  19. King jacob on June 20, 2022 at 8:25 pm

    2:46 WTF owe the state🤨 why the duck should I owe the state for my crops that grow from the Earth 😰😳



  20. killer instinct @. on June 20, 2022 at 8:25 pm

    You can kill people in Texas. Like drive by Saturday night. Like WTF guys just leave the plants. There garbage you guys really don’t need to grow that’s ok. I don’t get hi know more. I was heavy smoker



  21. Christopher Nguyen on June 20, 2022 at 8:25 pm

    Maybe stop messing with people



  22. Anonymous RD on June 20, 2022 at 8:25 pm

    Damn all them plants 🥲



  23. cecistory on June 20, 2022 at 8:28 pm

    Fucked up. The desert…..holy carbon footprint



  24. killer instinct @. on June 20, 2022 at 8:30 pm

    That’s the good stuff. Omg u people pay for that. You really should shop around.



  25. mr.mixleplix on June 20, 2022 at 8:31 pm

    Of course the state has to get their cut of the profits that’s why these cops are put on the job



  26. John Quinn on June 20, 2022 at 8:36 pm

    Yes, we canabis.



  27. Andrew Yarbrough on June 20, 2022 at 8:36 pm

    Shout out to all the Cali plugs for getting them 📦📦📦 out east!



  28. Mario Legend on June 20, 2022 at 8:36 pm

    Sticky icky



  29. Norbert Skokan on June 20, 2022 at 8:37 pm

    No money to be made, yet you’re explanding…
    How does that work????



  30. Robert Thomas (Rob) on June 20, 2022 at 8:39 pm

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  31. William Shelburne on June 20, 2022 at 8:42 pm

    You don’t pay them their taxes they come for you



  32. Wildest Cowboy on June 20, 2022 at 8:44 pm

    I liked how da black boy with the hat casually said we were the one’s who started it!



  33. Prod. Fayon on June 20, 2022 at 8:45 pm

    Yk this wouldn’t happen if the government wasn’t so greedy and charged a stupid amount of taxes for legal weed, jus sayin



  34. Eddie Pancho on June 20, 2022 at 8:47 pm

    The problem is the toxic chemicals and water consumption? Since when did California care about that with any other product?



  35. Man Fred on June 20, 2022 at 8:48 pm

    4:30 yeah major corporations are taking over everything. Still, we don’t want some of the people from the underground industry. We need local people to create local wealth.



  36. Mario Legend on June 20, 2022 at 8:48 pm

    Why is this even going on?



  37. Troy Balgie on June 20, 2022 at 8:50 pm

    Can’t afford to put money towards education or helping the homeless but has tons to throw at stopping people from growing plants. Lol merica



  38. Man Fred on June 20, 2022 at 8:50 pm

    5:35 growing in chemically treated composite board…nice



  39. keniseli gasio on June 20, 2022 at 8:53 pm

    This is fuckn stoooopid



  40. GetToThe Point_Already on June 20, 2022 at 8:53 pm

    FTP



  41. Acidbat on June 20, 2022 at 8:55 pm

    i want to cry seeing all that being chopped and tossed



  42. Jose A on June 20, 2022 at 8:56 pm

    Congratulations to drugs for winning the war on drugs.



  43. Kaylee Cutter on June 20, 2022 at 8:57 pm

    These resources could go to better use.



  44. jazzridez on June 20, 2022 at 9:00 pm

    Ain’t FREEDOM GREAT.



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  46. Mario Legend on June 20, 2022 at 9:01 pm

    Nice crop



  47. 4x4jeep on June 20, 2022 at 9:02 pm

    Damn white supremacist



  48. polski ralista on June 20, 2022 at 9:02 pm

    This was on fire Truly we understand each other now, don’t we? Rules are made to be broken… ☢️⚛️



  49. Ty on June 20, 2022 at 9:02 pm

    Instead of legalizing productions and forcing capitalism to resolve it, "Nah, we’ll just fine them harder". Bcecause that will happen.