In the discreet alleyways and hidden warehouses of Los Angeles, an underground phenomenon continues to thrive alongside the legal market: the sessions.
These events bring together cultivators, extractors, and consumers in an atmosphere reminiscent of cannabis’ origins, long before legalization.
Halfway between the black market and the gray market, these sessions have become a symbol of resistance from an artisanal network facing suffocating regulation.
But these sessions, as fascinating as they may be, raise an essential question: why do so many consumers and producers still prefer this alternative circuit over the regulated market?
The answer lies in one word: taxation.
A Return to Cannabis' Roots
Before California legalized recreational cannabis with Prop 64 in 2016 (enacted in 2018), the cultivation of this plant was a blend of activism, underground business, and street know-how.
It was a time when cultivators sold directly to medical dispensaries under the Prop 215 regime, without facing the weight of taxes and licenses.
The scene was dominated by independent growers, passionate breeders, and talented extractors who perfected their techniques in the shadows.
With legalization, the cannabis industry underwent a radical shift: exorbitant license fees, cumulative taxes reaching up to 40 to 50% of the final price, and heavy bureaucracy crushed small producers.
Result? Many were forced to return to their underground roots, and that’s how the sessions exploded in Los Angeles.
These events now function as a true subculture, where the exchange of information mirrors the rave parties of the 90s. To access them, there are no public announcements or websites. One must be introduced into the circle, know the right people, and wait for a trusted contact to share the address, often at the last minute via Telegram, Instagram, or Signal.
What You Find in the Sessions
Sessions bring together a diverse ecosystem of cannabis enthusiasts and entrepreneurs:
Underground growers: Artisans who produce rare genetics and high-quality flowers, often superior to what you find in dispensaries.
Licensed farms (discreet mode): Some participate to offload surplus stock or products that don't meet official standards.
Hashmakers and extractors: This is where you find the best rosins, diamonds, and other artisanal concentrates that are not always available in the legal market.
Resellers: Some bring in entire batches of weed from other states like Oregon or Oklahoma, where prices are much lower.
Consumers and street resellers: Individuals come to buy for personal use, but also resellers who buy in bulk to supply their own networks.
These events are often better stocked than dispensaries and offer more attractive prices. At a session, you can access elite genetics, perfectly cured buds, and exceptionally pure extractions—all without the intermediary of taxes and regulations.
The Lack of Traceability: The Dark Side
While the sessions are a paradise for cannabis connoisseurs, they have a major drawback: the total lack of traceability and health control. Unlike the legal market, where each batch is lab-tested to check for pesticides, mold, heavy metals, and residual solvents, none of this exists in a session.
A consumer could come across weed that’s cultivated in an entirely organic and careful manner, or find a batch contaminated with banned pesticide residues or poorly rinsed buds loaded with mineral salts. Worse still, some concentrates may contain traces of hastily purged butane or solvents harmful to health.
This is where the paradox of Californian legalization lies: by imposing excessive taxation, the state has pushed consumers toward an unregulated market, where health safety is no longer guaranteed.
The Real Problem: Prohibitive Taxation
Cannabis legalization was supposed to eradicate the black market and offer consumers safe, traceable products. But instead, the state has imposed such heavy taxation that even legal dispensaries are struggling to survive. Between the cultivation tax, distribution tax, sales tax, and local taxes, a single gram of cannabis can see its price rise by 50% in a dispensary compared to the sessions.
Result? Consumers prefer to buy at these underground events, and producers, even those with licenses, are forced to circumvent the system to avoid financial ruin.
It’s not legalization that’s a failure; it’s the taxation that makes it unlivable. As long as taxes remain excessive, the sessions will continue to exist and thrive.
Towards Intelligent Legalization
The solution is not to crack down on the sessions but to rethink cannabis taxation to make the legal market competitive with the gray market. If taxes were reduced and licenses made more accessible, small producers could reintegrate into the official system, thus ensuring consumers better traceability and health oversight.
The future of cannabis cannot be a witch hunt against those who perpetuate the underground culture. It must be an intelligent reform that allows enthusiasts and artisans to thrive within a legal framework, without being strangled by absurd taxation.
Until then, the sessions will continue to exist, hidden in the streets of Los Angeles, perpetuating a legacy deeply rooted in cannabis history.
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