In its first concerted effort to tamp down unlicensed cannbis businesses, Los Angeles prosecutors have charged 142 employees at 32 different illegal cannabis companies in an effort towards reining in the city’s widespread problem of unlicensed plant-touching businesses. As reported by the Sacramento Bee, 31 of the businesses were commercial cannabis companies and one was a marijuana delivery service.

“The combination of significant amounts of cash and marijuana at these locations can make them dangerous,” city attorney Mike Feuer told the Bee. In addition to the implicit dangers of large quantities of cash and cannabis on hand, the businesses and their efforts to avoid compliance present a clear competitive disadvantage to licensed cannabis companies who pay state and local taxes. The charges brought from the City of Los Angeles mark a step up in enforcement of the licensing and compliance laws that have been in place since January 1, and come on the heels of Governor Jerry Brown’s call for a special task force last month.

Still, while 142 may seem like a substantial number, these charges against 32 companies are a mere drop in the bucket when considering the huge amount of unlicensed businesses operating within Los Angeles and the state of California. Additionally, these are misdemeanor charges the companies face. Punitive fines and cease-and-desist letters are largely perceived as the price of doing business for black market companies and it will take far broader enforcement for many of the companies to begin taking compliance seriously.

“The problem of the illicit market is massive, and the competition with the illicit market is crushing licensed operators that are playing by the rules,” Dr. Juli Crockett, MMLG’s director of compliance, explains.

While it may only be a drop in the bucket for now, it’s also a crucial first step towards not only cracking down on illegal operations, but also a first step towards the city demonstratively telling licensed companies that the city has their back.