Though Weedmaps promised two weeks ago that it would stop advertising illicit marijuana businesses through its online directory, the Irvine-based company is still being vague about when that promise will actually become a reality.

Both legal cannabis businesses and state regulators are pushing Weedmaps to start removing hundreds of illegal ads now. Until that happens, they say Weedmaps is continuing to boost illegal operators that undercut legal operators, stifle state tax revenue and, in some cases, make people sick.

“Time is of the essence,” said Jerred Kiloh, president of the United Cannabis Business Association, an industry trade group that’s pushed legislation to penalize promotion of unlicensed operators. “It is crucial to establish a near-term deadline in order to truly protect Californians.”

Weedmaps CEO Chris Beals would only say in an emailed response that the company “will have more to share in the weeks ahead,” while spokesman Travis Rexroad said Tuesday that he’ll have more specifics “in the near future.”

Weedmaps has promoted illicit shops and delivery services since launching its Yelp-like service for the marijuana industry in 2008. The practice continued even after California’s Bureau of Cannabis Control sent Weedmaps a cease-and-desist letter in February 2018. And it’s still going even though Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill that lets regulators fine unlicensed parties up to $30,000 each day that they’re in violation of state cannabis laws, potentially putting Weedmaps on the hook for nearly $1 million in fines since the urgency bill took effect July 1.

Nicole Elliott, Newsom’s recently appointed senior adviser on cannabis, said Weedmaps’ Aug. 21 pledge to drop illicit businesses is a signal that the company is taking the state’s priority of compliance to heart. But like anything, she added, “the devil is in the details.”

Weedmaps’ announcement, which did not offer any fixed deadline or explanation for the delays, feels to Scott Benson, CEO of licensed Los Angeles-based cannabis product manufacturer Apex Extractions, like a “PR move” aimed at keeping state fines at bay.

“They’re saying ‘Someday soon, trust us, we’re going to stop,’” Benson said. “Now they can just play it out as long as they can.”

Meanwhile, Benson and others say Weedmaps’ choice to continue making money from the illicit marijuana market is having an impact across the state and country.

Former California Gov. Jerry Brown had budgeted for California to take in $630 million in cannabis excise and cultivation taxes during the first full fiscal year of legal sales, from July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019. But, while recent figures from the Department of Tax and Fee Administration show cannabis revenues going up each quarter, they also show California took in half of Brown’s projection, or just $315.7 million.

Experts say taxes aren’t meeting expectations because most California cities still don’t allow marijuana businesses and because taxes on legal cannabis are set so high that the illicit market — which isn’t taxed — has a huge financial advantage.

Many in the industry also say Weedmaps has contributed to the state’s cannabis tax problem by offering illegal operators — who in addition to skipping taxes also don’t pay licensing fees or costs to comply with safety regulations — a highly visible and cost-effective way to reach consumers.

Even when regulators do manage to shutter an illegal shop, Benson said operators will use Weedmaps to let customers know that they’ve moved to a new location. While cutting off that advertising venue won’t drive bad players out of business overnight, he said it could limit their ability to reach new customers over time. And if that change was to be coupled with stepped-up enforcement by the state, he believes California could start to make a real dent in the illicit market.

There’s also concern of public health risks linked to cannabis products that haven’t been tested for safety — particularly since many shoppers might not realize they’re buying illegal products promoted on such a public platform as Weedmaps.

This summer, hundreds of people have contracted severe lung problems and one person has died from complications that authorities now believe is linked to contaminated cannabis and nicotine vaping products sold by unlicensed vendors. While there’s no evidence that any of those patients bought products they’d discovered via Weedmaps, an investigation last year by NBC4 showed 30 percent of marijuana vape products purchased by the news outlet at illegal shops in Los Angeles tested positive for banned pesticides. And the reporters said they found all of those illegal shops through Weedmaps.

“We still have a long way to go to bring the bad actors into compliance so that the licensed retailers can grow,” said Ruben Honig, executive director of the United Cannabis Business Association.

“This starts with demanding real action from Weedmaps. Empty promises should no longer be an option.”