Marijuana sellers pay prime rents for warehouse and storefront space

Growing up in Minnesota, Stephanie Smith dreamed of being a golf pro. Instead, the mother of five who lives in Pacific Palisades has ended up in the unlikeliest of trades.

She claims to be one of the largest marijuana-industry landlords in the state in a business that is growing chaotically as cities begin to allow recreational cannabis sales after passage of Proposition 64 two years ago.

And though it's been plenty lucrative for her, the murky legal status of the cannabis industry has led to a police search of her home and to some unflattering news coverage - including a headline that painted her as a drug lord.

"Cannabis is not illegal," said Smith, who is not shy about what she does. "There is no such thing as a cannabis drug lord."

But she does control nearly 2