California pot regulators struggling with job, audit says

LOS ANGELES (AP) — California auditors have found that the agency overseeing the state’s vast legal marijuana market is understaffed and struggling to do the job.

A state Finance Department audit shows that about two-thirds of the Bureau of Cannabis Control’s authorized positions remain unfilled.

Auditors say the status and location of agency personnel “is not sustainable” and will not provide effective oversight of the legal pot market.

They also concluded earlier this month that the agency lacks an overall management strategy.

The problems outlined in the audit shed light on the uneven rollout of the state’s legal pot market, which is still competing with thriving underground sales.

The agency disputed some findings and argued that it met or exceeded its responsibilities despite the challenges.

Legal pot sales kicked off in California last year.