Listen to this episode of The Times:
California voters legalized cannabis in 2016, which was supposed to solve much of the violence and environmental damage associated with the illegal drug trade. But that has not happened. Instead, the reality of legal marijuana in California is massive illegal cultivation, violence, labor exploitation, and even deaths.
Within California’s famous “Emerald Triangle,” a region north of San Francisco known for its weed, there are between 5,000 and 10,000 illegal cannabis farms in just one of the three counties that make up the triangle. Under-the-radar farming is causing big problems for once-peaceful communities. This day, we delve into the problems generated by illegal cultivation. Read full transcript here.
accommodation: gustavo arellano
Guests: Paige St. John, LA Times Investigative Reporter
More reading:
Legal Weed, Broken Promises: A Times series on the consequences of legal marijuana in California
No one knows how widespread illegal cannabis cultivation is in California. So we map them
The reality of legal marijuana in California: huge illegal crops, violence, labor exploitation and deaths