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Spain’s confusing cannabis policies spark similar problems faced by U.S. states

Legal confusion over the drug’s status in regions like Catalonia and open European borders are allowing the illicit market to flourish. BARCELONA — The cannabis cafe in Barcelona’s hip El Poblenou neighborhood could easily be a coffee shop in Brooklyn…

California

Authorities bust $36.9 million illegal marijuana warehouse in Oakland

Law enforcement busted a massive illegal cannabis grow in Oakland last week, finding an estimated $36.9 million worth of cannabis in an unlicensed facility. In total, an operation led by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife found 41,082 cannabis plants and 1,841 pounds…

Manhattan Cannabis Chain Raided by Police and State Agents

Empire Cannabis Club is the target of stepped-up state efforts to crack down on unlicensed shops. New York Police Department officers and state tax agents raided one Manhattan dispensary and were thwarted from raiding another on Tuesday in an exercise…

California Gives Up on the Illegal Cannabis Market

California has the biggest legal cannabis market in the world – it’s a larger economy than some small nations. But while the Golden State’s regulated market is massive, it’s illegal market is far bigger. California has a big illegal cannabis market problem…

Catalonia cracks down on booming marijuana industry

BARCELONA, June 28 (Reuters) - Heavily-armed police officers arrived in a well-to-do Barcelona suburb before dawn to raid a two-storey house that turned out to be packed with 800 marijuana plants growing under powerful lamps. The recent raid, on which…

Illegal Cannabis Is Making California’s Water Problems Worse

Running dry California’s stubbornly persistent illegal cannabis industry isn’t just undercutting the legal market — it’s also behind some of the world’s most blatant water theft. The state’s estimated $8 billion underground marijuana industry consumes staggering volumes of the precious…

‘Perfect storm’: Illegal California pot keeps showing up in New York

It’s never been easier to buy California weed in New York. Pot stores across New York City are filled with cannabis grown in California, according to SFGATE interviews and other press reports. There’s just one problem — it’s illegal to…

Gov. Hochul calls for bigger fines against unlicensed weed shops

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is proposing steep fines for stores selling weed without a license. The move comes as pressure builds to crack down on unlicensed cannabis shops – something other city and state officials have struggled to do…

Marijuana Enforcement Leader Reveals Who Runs Illegal Grow Operations In Southern California

About 85% of illegal weed farmers are Chinese or Mexican nationals in San Bernardino County, task force sergeant says Chinese and Mexican nationals operate almost all illegal marijuana growing operations in the United States' largest county, the leader of a…

Kids Buying Weed From Bodegas Wasn’t in the ‘Legal Weed’ Plan

The rollout of legal marijuana in New York has been a slow and laborious process. The corner stores aren’t waiting. Not long ago, a mother in Westchester learned from her teenage son that he and his friends had gone to…

As San Diego’s cannabis tax revenue plummets, officials blame illegal market, new competition

Inflation may be driving customers to illegal delivery services, which can charge less because of lower overhead, fewer regulations. Revenue from San Diego’s cannabis tax has been dropping sharply in recent months as the city’s two dozen dispensaries face growing…

NYC’s Cannabis Underground Is Growing Roots And Building A New Economy

NYC harbors the most sophisticated illegal import and distribution system of cannabis in the world. And as the industry grows, so do the underground's seed-to-sale operations and product offerings that include non-smoking products like edibles, vapes, and tinctures. NY State…

Hazy weed enforcement sparks reefer madness in New York

The state has ramped up enforcement efforts ahead of the launch of recreational sales on Dec. 29. Nearly two years after former Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill to make marijuana legal, New York’s first dispensary is slated to open…

Why hasn’t legal weed killed the marijuana black market?

What’s happening It’s been 10 years since the first states legalized recreational marijuana. Over the past decade, the legit weed trade has exploded into a massive industry as personal pot use has rapidly spread to more parts of the country.…

What’s in New York’s Illicit Cannabis: Germs, Toxins and Metals

A report from a medical cannabis trade group found contaminants such as E. coli and salmonella in some products purchased at unlicensed dispensaries. Some cannabis products sold at unlicensed storefronts in New York are not only illegal, but also contaminated…