THOUSAND PALMS – On October 30, 2018, the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office announced the seizure of nearly 1,150 marijuana plants at a dispensary operating illegally in Thousand Palms, an unincorporated area of the county.

The county’s Cannabis Regulation Task Force (CRTF) conducted the operation in which 159 pounds of dried cannabis plants and more than $9,000 cash were also seized.

The purpose of the task force is to protect properly licensed legal cannabis businesses and enforce regulatory requirements which protect the environment and consumers.

Other agencies on the CRTF are the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, the Hemet Police Department and the Riverside Police Department.  Assisting in this operation was the California Department of Consumer Affairs Cannabis Enforcement Unit.

“Selling cannabis goods without a state license is a violation of California law,” said California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA) President Alan Barcelona.  “Local law enforcement departments are teaming up with state officers and shutting down those businesses operating without a license, in order to protect the public, the environment, and licensed business owners.”

The Bureau of Cannabis Control is responsible for regulating commercial cannabis licenses for retailers, distributors, microbusinesses, testing laboratories, and temporary cannabis events.