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California’s legal marijuana industry faces a wave of turmoil
California had high hopes when voters legalized recreational cannabis in 2016. But my colleagues uncovered a host of problems plaguing the industry, from contaminated cannabis to a growing underground market.
Going back to the forest, not the trees (the joints and the smoke, as it were), their findings raise three big questions about the state of the industry: the ability of states to provide legal marijuana head-to-head, the black market, and increased competition from other countries.
An LA Times/WeedWeek investigation found alarming levels of pesticides in cannabis products at dispensaries across the state.
(Photo by Jim Cook/Photos via Getty Images)
Growing controversy over pesticides in marijuana
My colleague Paige St. John reported this week that the legal marijuana industry is alarmed by the state’s failure to keep pesticides off the products on the shelves of California dispensaries.
A Times investigation in June revealed alarming levels of pesticides in popular vapes and other items, calling into question the state’s ability to protect consumers from dangerous products. These hazardous chemicals can have serious health consequences, including heart failure, nerve damage and birth defects.
Following that investigation, a whistleblower sued the state, a top cannabis official resigned and the state hired a private investigator, Page reported. And in the background, industry leaders struggled to create a parallel system to restore consumer confidence.
“It’s clear that if we don’t clean this up, people won’t buy from the regulated market,” Tiffany DeWitt, a lobbyist for the Mart & Ash dispensary chain, told Page.
The underground market shows no signs of slowing down, as Romeo y Julieta points out
Los Angeles County prosecutors say a young couple, Gabriella Tovar and Jesus Mendoza, targeted four cannabis dispensaries over a six-week period. Detectives dubbed the case “Romeo and Juliet,” and authorities described them as partners in romance and crime.
Yes, I know this story sounds like something out of a pulp novel, but there’s a deeper problem here.
The couple is accused of specifically targeting unlicensed dispensaries, which sell marijuana cheaper than legitimate businesses, thereby evading taxes and state inspection requirements. Illegal dispensaries are also less likely to report to police, making them targets for extortion and theft.
“The testimonies and videos of the takeover-style robberies provide a shocking example of the violence that shadows California’s growing black market for cannabis,” said my colleague Matthew Ormseth.
The state’s underground market remains a formidable competitor to the marijuana industry. A series of Times investigations in 2022 found that the black market experienced an explosion of growth after the legalization of recreational cannabis, resulting in the exploitation of farmworkers toiling in poor and deadly conditions.
In July, authorities raided cannabis farms near a state park and seized more than 5,200 plants and 14 firearms, including two assault weapons.
California is starting to lose ground to… Michigan?
California’s legal marijuana industry faces a growing black market, heavy taxes and strict regulations.
That complex issue allowed Michigan, which legalized recreational sales in 2018, to surpass California last year as the nation’s largest cannabis market by sales volume, says my colleague Connor Sheets.
Michigan has several advantages. It is close to states like Indiana and Wisconsin, where even medical marijuana remains illegal. On the other hand, California is surrounded by states that have legalized cannabis.
But taxes in Michigan are also lighter, allowing dispensaries to pay much less and increase consumer demand.
It’s gotten to the point where regular candy from corner stores costs more than dispensary products with THC, said Randy Buchman, founder of Pleasantrees, a cannabis company based in suburban Detroit.
“You can get a 200-milligram packet of gummies in any supermarket for $2,” he said. “You can’t buy Haribo gummies at this price.”
The most important stories of the week.
The image of a broken heart across the street from City Hall represents the mood of many Springfield, Ohio, residents since the anti-Haitian rumor spread.
(Caroline Custer/Associated Press)
How Trump’s lies about immigrant pets brought misery to Springfield, Ohio
- Haitians in Springfield aren’t the only people who feel threatened by false accusations of eating their neighbors’ pets. Across the city, people are worried about what will happen next.
- Meanwhile, in Texas, one county has been rocked by a civil war between traditional Republicans and a far-right faction of the party energized by Trump’s hardline policies.
- This powerful county in Washington state has picked 11 outright presidential winners. Columnist Mark Z. Barack takes a look at how Trump fares against Harris.
- Trump’s hate politics have caught up with Taylor Swift, writes journalist Robin Abkarian.
Wall of secrecy may be broken as feds subpoena sex crimes activist Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs
- Combs was the only defendant charged this week in a wide-ranging sex trafficking and racketeering investigation. But federal prosecutors have said publicly that they do not believe he is solely responsible.
- Combs, who is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, was placed on suicide watch, which is common in high-profile cases and is designed to protect the hip-hop music mogul, the report said.
- Meanwhile, a sex trafficking expert breaks down the allegations against Combs and explains what the indictment means for changing the way we think about how sex trafficking works.
- Enough of the love jokes, writes journalist Mary McNamara. The accusations against Combs are not ridiculous.
In Bakersfield, a river suddenly dried up, leaving thousands of dead fish
- There was a sudden cut in the water supply. Kern River in Bakersfield has dried upThousands of dead fish were left to dry in the river. Some compared the rapid drying to the effect of turning off a giant tap.
- California wildlife officials are now investigating whether the drying up of the river is a violation of state law.
On an unforgettable night, Shohei Ohtani made baseball history
Bigger stories
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Great reading this week
(Ryan Shud/For The Times)
How a single mom turned a school bus into her dream workspace in Ojai Tie-dye artist and former model Laura La Rue is raising her 16-month-old daughter in a former school bus. “I’m trying to be there for my daughter,” she says.
More great reading
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For your holidays
The al pastor tacos at Tacos Por Vida are some of the best in Los Angeles, our critics write.
(Stephanie Brejo/Los Angeles Times)
Go out
stay
How well did you track this week? Take our quiz.
(Times staff and wired photographs)
According to recent research, how are Catalina Island snakes different from their mainland counterparts? Plus nine more questions from our weekly quiz.
Great weekend from the Essential California team
Hunter Claus, multiplatform editor
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