US-DRUGS-CRIME-POLICE-ECONOMY

An illegal cannabis farm with three green houses for the plants (one with plastic covering removed by deputies) is seen in this aerial photo during a raid of the operation by the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department, in Newberry Springs, in the western Mojave Desert of Southern California on March 29, 2024. "Sheriff's Department! Search Warrant," shout armed officers as they enter a property in the heart of the Californian desert, where they soon find hundreds of illegal cannabis plants. Marijuana was fully legalised in the state in 2016 following a public vote, in a move that proponents said would bring an end to a huge black market and the crime and nuisance associated with it. In reality, the sector has boomed, with illegal growers tempted by the promise of fat profits for operators who don't have to worry about licences, standards and even paying for their water. (Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP) (Photo by ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)