How the black market is cashing in on the state's inability to track weed "from seed to sale."

When Washington state legalized marijuana back in 2012, one of the big goals was to displace the black market, bring weed out of the shadows, and take the power away from dealers and traffickers. 

But more than a decade later, the ILLEGAL weed industry is still thriving in Washington, and that’s taking a toll on LEGAL cannabis businesses. 

Meanwhile, the SYSTEM for keeping track of legally produced weed is broken. That has raised concerns about diversion into the black market, as well as lost money, product safety, and more.

Tim Gruver Wrote about the “fuzzy math of tracking dark weed” for The Washington Observer

GUEST: Tim Gruver - Washington Observer

RELATED LINK: The fuzzy math of tracing dark weed

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes

Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.