Does CA have all the (illegal) smoke? State seized $609M in cannabis last year

It’s been a near decade since California legalized the use of recreational cannabis (read, marijuana), and the state continues to deal with a market of illicit products being bought and sold.

It is making inroads, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom, who announced $1.2 billion worth of illegal product has been seized and/or destroyed through the Unified Cannabis Enforcement Task Force since 2022.

For perspective, the legal industry has generated $7.3 billion for the state in tax revenue since 2018.

“California is making historic strides in dismantling the illicit cannabis market,” Newsom said in a news release Tuesday. ”This success is a testament to strong partnerships and our commitment to protect our environment, ensure public safety, and safeguard the legal cannabis industry from those who think the law doesn’t apply to them.”

Cannabis enforcement in 2025

The task force was established in 2022 to enhance enforcement coordination between state, local and federal agencies.

The news release highlights the task force’s actions in 2025, which included 48 enforcement operations across 23 counties that seized $1.2 million in cash and $609 million (or 188 tons) in illegal cannabis.

That is double the amount seized in 2024 and 18 times larger than what was seized by the task force in its first year.

The operations hit outdoor and indoor cultivation sites, manufacturing facilities, retail storefronts and unlicensed delivery services. They often uncovered other illegal activity, both criminal and civil, according to the news release. That included labor trafficking and wage theft, the use of banned pesticides and fish and game code violations, among other things.

Valerie Termini, interim director of the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, said it was gratifying to know the task force operations “prevented such a large amount of illicit cannabis — products grown and sold without regard for the environment or public health and safety — from entering the supply chain.”

Two Valley counties were listed among those with the larges amount of seized cannabis.

Tulare County was listed fifth, with 32,218 pounds of cannabis seized and destroyed (at an estimated value of $53 million). Kern County was fourth with 52,151 pounds (worth $86 million).

Much of that came from a week-long operation the task-force staged in early May. It covered an area of 4,600 square miles in Kern, Kings and Tulare counties, and was the task force’s largest operation to date, according to the state.

Fresno led cannabis project with state DOJ

Information specific to Fresno County was not available Tuesday, but the city has made its own efforts to curb the illegal cannabis market, in collaboration with a crackdown on smoke shops that began in 2023.

According to the city, these shops have become hubs for the sale of illegal cannabis, among other illicit activities.

Much of the city’s efforts are being done in conjunction with the Cannabis Administrative Prosecutor Program, which operates as a supplement to the task force. The program is a partnership with the state’s Department of Justice and addresses illegal cannabis activity “through administrative enforcement and nuisance abatement,” according to the state.

Fresno was the first local municipality to sign on to the program in 2023.