Inside California’s Black Market Weed Boom
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Published 2022-01-16
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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All Comments (21)
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If my neighbor sells it cheaper than the dispensary, then I'm getting it from my neighbor. It's that simple.
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As someone who lives in a state that still enforces cannabis prohibition. I want to thank all of those black market growers all across the USA for providing us with high quality cannabis.
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Hurt my heart seeing all those beautiful plants get cut up and thrown away 😞
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“Using hijacked water?” Meanwhile letting Nestlé and other companies raid the states water reserves what a clown show
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True legalization is when the common citizen can grow their own. Anything other than that is state manipulation for corporate business interests.
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I would love to see a comparison between the damage this "illigal black market weed boom" causes compared to other legal much more damaging companies
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Thank you for your service to all the clandestine farmers.
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So WHY are they wasting all these county resources (vehicles, gas, amory, logistics, etc.) and man hours to disrupt $500 misdemeanor fines???
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As long as the taxes on weed stay insane there’s always gonna be people willing to buy off the street for the lower cost.
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Psychedelics saved me from years of uncontrollable depression, anxiety and illicit pill addiction. Imagine carrying heavy chains for over a decade and then all of a sudden that burden is gone. Believe it or not in a couple years they'll be all over for treatment of mental health related issues.
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“If your crop is worth 1 million dollars then you owe the state half” 🤣 lmaoo why are you entitled to what I bring in.
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The sad part is the police still dedicating so much of their time to fighting something that's hardly a crime at this point.
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It’s hard to get over the fact that they’re going after smaller growers but its okay to grow as a larger corporation. Legalization of weed is a monopoly.
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My take away is that the California system can only favor serious big money investors because they can survive better in a low net profit business environment. Cuts out the smaller growers just fine. Besides, most small operators don't have the ability to borrow serious start-up capital to have a compliant grow site and associated fees.
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Is there any realiable source I can purchase from??
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The sheriff said "if your crop is worth a million, the state should get half." BS to the highest degree.
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The moral of the story: Government hates competition.
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I can only imagine the cops that had to walk through the grow rooms, going back into the station, everyone staring at em like they just hung out with snoop dogg LMAO
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Successful people don't become that way overnight. What most people see at a glance wealth, a great career, purpose is the result of hard work and hustle over time. I pray that anyone who reads this will be successful in life