In California, the legalization of recreational marijuana has had many consequences, including the boom in boutique dispensaries, the proliferation of edibles and growing questions around the health effects for some users. Add to the list a more unexpected effect, far from the industrial greenhouses of Northern California: an illicit export market for so-called Cali weed in Britain, where cannabis remains illegal. California-grown marijuana, which has developed a reputation for potency and high quality, is so popular that it is being smuggled in suitcases from America with minimal attempts to hide it, according to British law enforcement. Officials have intercepted a steady flow of cannabis-filled suitcases loaded onto passenger flights from the United States, with an average of five seizures a month in 2025. The drug is often vacuum-packed into plastic bags and crammed inside suitcases taken on commercial flights as checked baggage.
