About 97 percent of marijuana seized by California officials in unincorporated areas of the state came from counties that continue to ban licensed growers, new data from the Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) reveals.
That shows how local governments that have refused to get on board with California’s legalization law that voters approved 10 years ago “benefit” the illicit market, the state’s top cannabis regulator told State Affairs, which obtained and first reported on the data.
DCC has repeatedly argued that the current system of patchwork regulations—where localities are able to opt-in or opt-out of allowing certain types of licensed marijuana businesses from operating in their area—is a key factor keeping the state’s illegal cannabis trade alive.
It creates barriers to access for adult consumers, while allowing unlicensed operators to function in a policy vacuum. To combat the problem, the state established the Unified Cannabis Enforcement Taskforce (UCETF) in 2022 to coordinate multi-agency enforcement action against illicit growers, manufacturers and sellers.
Through that work, DCC has been able to put the local control issue into perspective. According to data on enforcement activity spanning October 2022 to August 2025, the department found that 96.6 percent of illicit marijuana seized by UCETF
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