California voters legalized cannabis in 2016,

and one of the issues that was supposed to be solved

was a violence and environmental wreckage

associated with the drugs illegal trade.

Under the clear white light of police protection

and government regulation and taxation and all the things that this will do,

yes, I would far rather it be legal the way the alcohol industry is.

But that hasn't happened.

A Los Angeles Times investigation has found that the mayhem has continued.

Inside California's Fame Emerald Triangle, a region north of San Francisco known for its weed,

there's an estimated 5 to 10,000 illegal cannabis farms. And that's just

in one of the three counties that make up the triangle. This under the radar cultivation,

it's messing with once peaceful communities. It's the whim of a grower that doesn't have his own

place to do it and is basically coming in and taking advantage of it.

I'm Gustav Ariano. You're listening to The Times, essential news from the LA Times.

It's Wednesday, September 14th, 2022. Today, the dark side of legalizing marijuana in the Golden State.

My L.A. Times colleague, Paige St. John, is an investigative reporter and is part of our deep dive into the problems that California has faced ever since it legalized cannabis.

Paige, welcome to Times.

Thank you. I'm glad to be here.

So you and our colleagues swept across the state to look at the problems of legal weed,

and you specifically, you focused on trying to figure out how big this issue of illegal farms is.

And beyond just talking to people, you analyze satellite imagery because not even regulators in California know the scope of it all. So what'd you find?

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