DC: California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom is hoping to pull National Guard troops away from the U.S.-Mexico border to help protect his state’s struggling marijuana industry.
Faced with competition from a robust black market, the legal cannabis industry in California has not experienced the growth that supporters had expected. Newsom — who enjoyed hundreds of thousands in campaign donations from the marijuana lobby — wants to aid the industry by redeploying at least 150 California National Guard troops from the U.S.-Mexico border and instead use them to combat illegal grows in Northern California.
“There are legitimate concerns in Northern California, particularly as it relates to illegal cannabis grows. They are getting worse, not better,” Newsom stated last week, according to the Los Angeles Times. “I want to see more enforcement.”
California citizens voted to legalize recreational marijuana in November 2016, and the law officially changed in January 2018. Proponents initially anticipated a thriving cannabis industry within the country’s most populous state. California officials, for example, estimated there would be up to 6,000 licensed cannabis shops within the first few years and that the industry would bring up to $1 billion a year in revenue.
Instead, the state only issued 547 temporary and annual licenses by December 2018, and California is only expected to rake in $471 million in revenue this fiscal year. New Frontier Data, a firm that analyzes marijuana sales, estimated the black market accounts for as much as 80 percent of the marijuana sold in the state. California’s illegal pot market is estimated to be four times that of the legal market. more here
Ooh look! California is having problems controlling their weed. Who would have thought that could happen? lol.
“California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom is hoping to pull National Guard troops away from the U.S.-Mexico border to help protect his state’s struggling marijuana industry. ”
Doesn’t that make Newsom a cartel boss? lol
Well, either on the border or in Nor Cal… he’s still gonna’ be busting Mesikins.
Where is this action in the California State Constitution is this? Or did the gov reach in his back pocket and pull this out his arse?
A couple things in the local news that make this story interesting. Local news reports that the California pot industry is floundering and what’s hurting it most is Mex Drug Cartels either illegally growing it here, or packing it over the border. Decisions decisions. Do we love our pot industry more than our illegals? That’s a tough one.
Speaking of Felony Illegals. I read yesterday that the Libtard Congress does not want Illegal Felons reported when they attempt to buy a gun or found with one in their possession. This announcement comes at the same time the same Libtards are drafting gun confiscation legislation.
The left is insane.
Since when is it in the National Guards interest to protect pot growers? Cali’s new gov is even a bigger dumbass that moonbeam Brown. California, Oregon, Wash., Colorado etc. with their laws making pot legal are the new definition of “This is your brain on drugs.”
LOL – the same thing has happened here in Saskatchewan. The government thought they would be making “so much money” from the legalization of weed. People are still using their friendly, local neighbourhood dealer (and not having to pay the GST!). The dealers have established “lines of supply” and have not run out as have the authorized stores. The only good thing from this whole legalization nonsense is that you will not be jailed or fined for simple possession now.
geoff, the emphasis is on protecting LICENSED pot growers. Somehow, people are reluctant to pay a tax on something that grows in a ditch.
Like I’ve said before (maybe here) is that evidently nobody told Californians why Prohibition failed.
It is immoral to slow down the weed growth in the shadows. These are people trying to make a living and provide for their family. They are providing lower cost products to the American people. These are not illegal growers, they are undocumented growers.
The irony and hypocrisy of Gavin is rich. Using military to crack down on weed instead of defend our borders.
“Not my governor.” Every free man’s worst nightmare. Complete asshole.
How great would a family feel if their fallen hero died to protect Newsome’s maryjane???
I haven’t had a liberal answer this question for me when I ask it:
Why are there 100 ads against cigarettes, cigarettes are evil, kids are confused by cartoonish packaging, they’re this and they’re that… But pot is okay?
Noooo no problems with pot. It’s NATURAL!!!!
Because tobacco isn’t? lol
Please.
@Bad_Brad:
I suggest that those are symptoms, and that what’s hurting the pot industry most is govt, specifically regulation, licensing, and most importantly, taxation.
Those are things the big boys wanted and lobbied for, expecting that they would be insurmountable barriers to competition from small-timers. They were wrong because there were way too many small-timers willing to continue violating the laws and now regulations, as well as the cartels, who very reasonably decided that since they were already kidnappers, torturers, murders, and terrorists there was no point in obeying the new piss-ant laws and regs.
Tobacco production is land, labor, and infrastructure intensive.
Anyone can grow pot anywhere. It will never be a revenue cash cow.
If there’s a border, no illegal anything gets through, including weed. So as someone asked. What’s more important to newsom?
Maybe Trump should tell California and Gavin to fuck off. The democraps don’t want to fund a border wall but are perfectly happy to have the Natl. Guard protect pot growers, fucking idiots. We’ve lost our friggin minds, this is beyond the Twilight Zone and Bizarro World in absolute stupidity.
This strikes me as illegal or possibly unconstitutional. Anyone have expertise on the legitimate uses of the National Guard?
@JP: “These are not illegal growers, they are undocumented growers.”
excellent
and it is an ‘amnesty state’ isn’t it?
I’m in Vermont, and it certainly isn’t easy at times, for a myriad of reasons. But it is legal here. Legal. There are limitations on quantities that one may possess or grow, but there is no taxation involved in owning or growing it. And it is illegal to sell pot here. You can own it, smoke it, give it away, or have nothing at all to do with it, but you can’t sell it.
I guess he is okay with all the illegal drugs spilling across his border; California and Hawaii are two basket cases; now we have to figure out which one is worse.
Need to add a ‘P’ to the ATF and send them after the cartels and illegal growers
They like to raid places, burn them down and shoot off ammo
DJT JR. needs to be careful with his new girlfriend who was married to that clown 🤡.
Legalizing pot was supposed to be as lucrative as rolling a bunch of Billionaires, so far it has been disappointing. Last week Newsome said he is considering lowering the state tax on legal pot; figures, the one tax in California that does NOT affect me and they want to lower it. I’m cursed.
Hey, Binky, there’s this ginormous black market! You know what will tots undermine that? We’ll make it legal. And we’ll set our cut higher than the CURRENT illegal price. And we’ll put the people we couldn’t get hired at the DMV in charge. And to make it even more customer convenient we’ll make it cash only… not even friendly dealer, until you get paid next week, credit. And, AND, we’ll make sure the current black marketeers get permanent “stay out of jail free” cards. It’ll be GLORIOUS!
So are the pot growers upset because people are buying illegal pot when they themselves probably were selling/smoking illegal pot before, or that the state already spent the money they thought was coming in?
If the government weren’t so greedy about the taxes, fees, licenses etc the illegals would be out of business in a month and Gov Ransom wouldn’t have to be asking for 150 Guardsman. The day pot went legal he should have made possession a felony with up to two years, possession with intent to distribute 10 years. Then set the cops loose and tell the libs/progs/Dems to shut the hell up. That and lowering the taxes and other fees would likely have got him the revenues they projected.
Weird things the gubmint is incapable of making money at:
1. Running a whore house.
2. Selling pot.
But we need to put the government in charge of saving the world from global…whatever?
Activate units of the California Army National Guard. Send them to the middle east. Send soldiers stationed in the middle east to California. That otta turn Brown’s shorts brown.
Uncle Al, these are the same people that think they can make gun control work by applying the same principals.