LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – A large Las Vegas drug bust only gives a small window into the scope of the massive illegal market across Nevada, according to the UNLV Cannabis Policy Institute.

FOX5 was the only station on the scene of a massive marijuana bust in the Northwest Valley. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police said on X that there was more than 800 pounds of marijuana in a single home.

“It does seem very small compared to how big we know that the unlicensed market is,” said Riana Durett of the UNLV Cannabis Policy Institute, who praised the work of law enforcement to tackle the issue. “The reason I wasn’t surprised is because there’s obviously a lot of unlicensed sales here,” Durett said.

FOX5 has been covering the scope of the problem. During the 2025 Nevada legislative session, lawmakers learned that the illegal cannabis market nets $242 million in sales a year, which is almost a third of all cannabis profits in the state.

LVMPD’s narcotics section said that half of illegal sales across the Valley occur on the Strip.

The Cannabis Compliance Board tells FOX5, many tourists and locals are misled to purchase illegal cannabis through illegal actors on social media, promising delivery to the Strip, which is banned by state law, or to your doorstep.

“They can’t necessarily tell the difference between the legal and illegal sales when they’re ordering an online delivery,” Durett said.

Legislators discussed efforts to undercut the illegal market and expand cannabis delivery options. A proposed bill would have launched a joint study between gaming and cannabis agencies to explore the future of marijuana delivery on the Strip; the bill failed to make it out of the session.

“Expanding delivery options would allow the legal market to supplant the illegal market, where some of those sales are occurring,” Durett said.

Sheriff Kevin McMahill explained the dangers of the illegal marijuana trade for sellers and buyers.

“I‘ve been to a lot of homicide scenes over marijuana sales. That black market in marijuana is still huge and people are still out there selling it. They’re finding themselves in positions where they’re getting robbed for it,” McMahill said.

The CCB website has a list of licensed dispensaries and states which businesses offer legal delivery.

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