MYTH: Minnesotans are already using marijuana, we need to fully legalize the drug in order to eliminate the black market.

Cannabis Black Market Thrives Despite Legalization – Rutgers University

“But many attentive residents of legalized states know that this promise hasn’t panned out. Cannabis’ illegal market is anything but dying; in some cases, it’s more active than it has been in years.”

Marijuana black markets flourish despite legalization – Washington Examiner

“Though marijuana cultivation has been legal in Oregon since 2014, the state is still devoting millions in resources to combat illegal operations. Last year, the Oregon legislature earmarked $25 million to crack down on illegal marijuana growers.”

Legalization No Cure for Black Market – City Journal

“Nor is California alone in watching its black market explode after legalization. In Oregon, where recreational pot became legal in 2015, officials now estimate that thousands of illicit marijuana farms operate in the southern part of the state, where gun battles among rivals have become common. Despite legalization in 2016, more than two-thirds of pot transactions in Massachusetts take place in the black market, state officials estimate.” 

Why hasn’t legal weed killed the marijuana black market? – Yahoo News

“The marijuana black market has continued to thrive to the point where legitimate growers and sellers are struggling to stay afloat in areas of the country awash in illegal weed. Analysis from the Los Angeles Times…found that unlicensed farms outnumbered legal operations by as much as 10 to 1 in the state’s biggest cultivation areas. Other states that have legalized recreational pot use, including Oregon and Colorado, have faced similar challenges. New York has grappled with a booming “gray market” of unlicensed weed sellers that emerged as the state worked to set up its new system for legal retailers.”

Marijuana’s black market is undercutting legal businesses – CNBC

“Legal weed markets across the country are struggling to compete with nontaxed, illicit businesses, where consumers get better deals, despite potential health risks. New York City, crackdowns are beginning to contain the “tens of thousands” illicit businesses contending with the state’s newly launched legal market.”