L.A. mayor considers crackdown on unlicensed marijuana shops

Los Angeles is contemplating a major clampdown on illegal cannabis shops that have bedeviled the licensed industry’s bottom line.

Mayor Eric Garcetti said Wednesday he is considering adding “tens of millions” of dollars to the fight against the flourishing illicit market.

The mayor didn’t put a precise figure on the spending for the city’s upcoming budget but said it would go toward police overtime and enforcement operations in other city agencies.

He said legal cannabis shops “can’t get undercut every single day” by illicit sellers that typically have lower prices.

California kicked off broad legal sales in 2018, but Los Angeles has struggled to get control of its vast illegal marijuana economy. The City Council has even tried to get involved in the fight against illicit cannabis shops.

L.A. is the largest U.S. city with a legal cannabis market.

– Associated Press