The Last Deal

What do you know about marijuana?

What do you think you know?

It's come a long way since dime bags and Cheech and Chong.

For starters, it's becoming a 200 billion dollar industry

as well as the number one agricultural crop in California.

I'm a dispensary owner in Los Angeles,

meaning, I sell weed,

and California knows about it.

We don't call it marijuana anymore, though.

It's called flower,

like the plant you give your mother or cannabis.

That's Franco, a working-class dude just like the rest of us,

except he grows for one of the best suppliers in LA.

- Looks good. - I know.

You'd be bounded too if you saw the profit margin on this stuff.

The demand was so high I had to hire delivery drivers.

You show ID, you get your weed.

It was that simple.

No longer have to feel like a schmuck

doing deliveries in my car.

The money was just pouring in.

It was like the wild west and the heavy one was staking their claims.

We even called it, the green rush.

Here's a normal day buying wholesale.

Flying the Cessna was my buddy, Cada.

I'd meet him at Santa Paula Airport at 9 AM

and we could either go to Humboldt County

or Inland Farm County by 11.

Today, we're going Inland.

When I started as a grower 5 years ago,

I never would have imagined it would turn out to be something like this.

Farming technology has advanced immeasurably,

and these Inland growers have given the folks in Humboldt

a run for their their money.

They're harvesting buttloads of stuff in the desert.

Think of the sand where water doesn't exist.

Man, the crops are great this year.

Thank you, this is tricom production like donkey dicks.

At noon, I buy a barrel straight from one

of the friendly local growers,

have it packed into a van and driven down to LA.

Why bother growing it when it's as easy to get your hands on this stuff?

You see that plastic bag?

That's 50 pounds of dried bud

and behind me, a 197 barrels full of them.

Street value, $19 million.

You could fit a small body in one of those barrels.

I hop back on a plane, shoot back to LA,

buy a couple of bags off the runway just because I could.

And then I'm back in time to grab a late lunch at Santa Monica.

I had this down to a science.

Keep in mind, absolutely none of this was federally legal.

I met this young kid, Bobby, at court.

He was there for beating up this guy

who beat up his little sister.

Good kid and he came with some valuable skills.

Just the kind of guy I needed.

We quickly bonded and after a few months, he started working for me.

He also worked in collections.

So I asked him to do the job they didn't want to do anymore.

On the streets, where there are no rules,

it's important people respect you and pay their debts on time.

I was never a dealer before

and I still don't consider myself as one.

It was only after my mother and me moved out west

that I started growing vegetables for some sort of therapy.

I was pretty good at it

so I stopped picking the weeds and started growing them.

The money was so good that I stop growing altogether and just sold it.

No longer that I need a plan B, this was my only plan.

So how could something so right go so wrong?

We want to turn to the historic night here in California.

What affects you the most?

Yeah, voters legalized the recreational use of marijuana.

Here's a look at the Prop 64 results.

You think weed turning legal would be a good thing.

Think again.

My sales tank,

my drivers are leaving,

and I can't get a dispensary license

even though the state promised thousands of them.

So then, people started telling me, "Get a loan. Try to stay afloat."

Not a chance.

Cannabis may now be legal on a state level

but not on the federal level.

Things won't even give you a lollipop

for walking through the front door and nonetheless a loan.

Of course, there was money involved in it.

This is politics.

Politics, pot, money, okay?

Then the big shot politicians

add testing regulations

which up all the prices for everyone.

Look, I get it. California wants to be legit

and people want safe weed

but the folks growing your genetically

modified breakfast cereals,

have less red tape to cut through than my industry.

So I'm forced to pay off these shady cameras inspectors,

back alleys, just so I can stay open.

Maybe it's time to pull up the stakes and move on

because the end of the green rush was within sight.

I think I need a plan B.

You just got to get your swagger back.

Who said I lost my swagger?

You got this.

Someone had an order?

You're the delivery guy?

Marcus here?

Yeah. Come in.

Marcus, the delivery guy is here.

I got this, ladies.

Delivery guy.

You ordered an ounce?

Yes, I did.

I need a card and ID.

What are you talking about?

ID, I need to make sure it's you.

Here we go like the only company with some shit, man.

Yeah, I do.

Fine, yeah. Yeah, my bad.

Hey, Britney!

Britney, bring my ID up here. Please.

Girls, man. Right?

So this place is yours, huh?

Yeah, man. Yeah. Paid in full. Very sick, huh?

Hey, thank you.

Lastly, my card.

Got it.

There's that.

Alright. - Appreciate you.

Okay, hold on a minute, I have a tip for you.

That's balcony for my show tonight. Come through, man.

Good times, bring a friend. Lots of girls.

Yeah.

Bye.

Let's get high.

Hey, thanks for meeting up.

You bet.

Just to be clear,

this is going to cover all my unregulated products

and no bureau coming by for routine checks.

Why do you want to ask me specific shit like that, man?

Makes me feel like you're tapped.

Are you serious?

You got the cash? Come here.

Here.

Okay. This will cover you for 6 months.

No regulations will be enforced.

Yeah, but I can sell any flower I want.

Yes. Just don't be stupid.

I still have to come by for inspections.

But only you, right?

I don't want to have to pay off any other inspectors, again.

Only me.

Hey, what about my dispensary license?

What about it?

When's it going to get approved?

You still got your delivery license, right?

Yeah, but my business, it depends on the dispensary license.

I don't make the rules of the state, buddy.

I just enforce them.

Keep applying.

What's up?

The AC is broken again, Vince.

Get off your phone.

Look, I don't know.

You had 10. You come back with 7 and the money for 2?

It must have gotten lost.

What is going on?

He lost a bag.

How big?

An 8? He's gonna break my arm.

Okay, Jesus, man. Let him go.

Are you serious?

Let him go.

Cumming, go look in your car.

See if you can find it.

He smoked it. He's not going to

fucking find it, Vince.

Just go look.

Thank you, Vince.

Get the fuck out of here.

What the fuck?

He's our last driver.

He's probably going to fucking quit.

That was his fourth time.

You've got to let these people know who's running shit.

The guy's got a kid, for God's sake.

That's not my problem.

We are running the business, right?

Where the fuck is Samson? He quit?

Yeah, he quit.

Hey, look, I love you. You know this, right?

I brought you in here as my partner to help.

Right now, financially, we're getting fucking crushed.

Okay?

Hey, hey, just help us. Okay?

Fine.

Oh, dandelions.