California deals with high times and misdemeanors

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(The Center Square) – Recreational marijuana is legal for Californians 21 and older, but illegal grows remain a costly concern for state and local governments, taxpayers, consumers and the environment.

Because the state's two primary task forces operate independently and target different sectors of the illicit market, California's enforcement data is divided across separate agency metrics.

The Eradication and Prevention of Illicit Cannabis Task Force, which is overseen by the California Department of Justice, focuses on illegal cultivation sites. These include illegal grows harming public lands.

The Unified Cannabis Enforcement Task Force at the Governor’s Office targets the illicit market supply chain including outdoor and indoor grows, unlicensed dispensaries and illegal delivery services. The Department of Cannabis Control and California Department of Fish and Wildlife are co-chairs of the UCETF Task Force.

Since it was established in 2022, UCETF alone has seized and destroyed over 317 tons, or over 635,303 pounds, of illegal cannabis worth an estimated retail value of $890 million.

Had that gone through legal supply chains and been hit with state and local taxes, millions of dollars would have been generated, although state officials did not have estimates as of publication time.

In 2025, the EPIC Task Force reported 204 arrests across 34 California counties, which resulted in the eradication of 728,458 illegally grown plants. That same year, UCETF reported 23 arrests, 188 tons of illicit cannabis destroyed and 590,000 plants eradicated.

The large size of some illegal grows is seen in several photos that the Department of Cannabis Control sent to The Center Square. The photos include the one that is being published with this story.

To tackle illegal cannabis grows, law enforcement targets organized crime, labor exploitation and environmental degradation, said Jordan Traverso, the department's deputy director of public affairs.

But enforcement, Traverso said, is only a single piece of the puzzle.

DCC’s broader priority is to strengthen the legal market while making the illegal market less profitable, less accessible and less tolerated, Traverso told The Center Square.

“That includes reducing unnecessary friction for licensed businesses trying to operate lawfully, improving regulatory clarity, supporting compliance, protecting consumers, and giving the licensed market a fair opportunity to compete against operators who avoid testing, taxes, track-and-trace, licensing, labor standards, and environmental rules,” Traverso said.

Consumer education is part of that strategy.

For example, Traverso said, consumers need to understand the difference between licensed cannabis and illegal cannabis.

Licensed cannabis is subject to testing, labeling, packaging, inspection and enforcement requirements. Illegal cannabis is not.

When consumers buy from the illegal market, Traverso said they may be supporting unsafe products, violence, labor exploitation, tax avoidance and organized criminal activity.

“DCC’s guiding objective is a safe, stable, accountable and lawful cannabis market,” said Traverso. “That means protecting consumers, supporting responsible licensees, reducing illegal competition, improving compliance, coordinating enforcement and focusing resources where they can have the greatest impact.”

Both outdoor and indoor illegal cultivation operations pose several severe environmental hazards, said Sarah Sol, a spokesperson for California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

For example, outdoor sites sometimes illegally divert water, she said.

“We've had instances where illegal growth sites were out on public lands, and they were illegally diverting a spring or something along those lines,” Sol told The Center Square.

She said illegal growers may also be contaminating soil and waterways with things like fertilizers or harmful pesticides, fuel and other waste products.

"In order to have these larger cultivation sites, they often remove native vegetation, just kind of clear out plants, and that can also introduce invasive species, and there could be light pollution, noise pollution and other things that just generally affect fish and wildlife," said Sol.

Indoor sites without permits could involve unregistered pesticides or other kinds of safety hazards from electrical issues and unregistered chemicals, Sol said.

Recreational marijuana became legal in 2016 after California voters passed Proposition 64. Small personal possessions became legal soon after the vote, and legal retail sales began on Jan. 1, 2018.

In California, recreational cannabis is legal for adults 21 and older. Cannabis for medicinal purposes is legal for ages 18 or older with a physician's recommendation, according to the DCC. 

The expansion in legal cannabis turned out to be a boon for the Golden State's taxes.

According to the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, the state has generated over $8.1 billion in total cannabis tax revenue from the start of legal sales for recreational use through the first quarter of 2026.

Tax revenue from legal marijuana goes into the California Marijuana Tax Fund, which then puts money toward licensing and enforcement, environmental protection and restoration, research on cannabis, treatment of addictions and prevention of drug abuse.

Of the money, $50 million goes to the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development for grants to local health departments and nonprofits in communities affected by previous federal and state drug policies. The money covers areas such as mental health and substance use treatments, job placements and legal services.

And $3 million is allocated to the California Highway Patrol for protocols to determine if motorists are driving under the influence. Funding is also used to address public health and safety concerns related to Proposition 64.