Hey all. I was contacted by a grower recently and they laid out a story about the local police force disregarding the grower’s licenses and carrying out a raid in which the entire crop was destroyed.
This was the first I’ve heard of a grower being targeted like this and I’m wondering if anyone else has experienced it or if it’s an isolated incident. Have you experienced this? Any growers you know have a problem with the local police despite having the proper licenses?
Tons of stories like that- just recently our highway patrol followed a truck from dispensary to dispensary, then pulled it over for “improper mud flap length.” They searches the car and all they found was cash, so they called in Homeland Security (they’re not restricted from spending funds to prosecute cannabis violations unlike the DOJ) who then seized the funds as resulting from criminal activity. Plus we had some local law enforcement fired for pulling over drivers, seizing cannabis but then it just disappeared.
It’s been some time since I’ve heard stories like this thread, but there was plenty of this going on in the not-so-distant earlier years of the industry. I’ve never heard of local police being able to conduct a raid/inspection on their own, but since it’s not federally legal yet, federal entities are still allowed to do it…
I agree. We need to be specific about the jurisdiction of some of these events. Then we need to inform.
I got a good story about my friendly local police department. Our local authorities have been very willing to work with caregivers and dispensaries to ensure public safety as well as the safety of our employees. One of my very favorite memories of police interactions (the majority of which have been favorable) happened right after we allowed for MMJ cultivation facilities construction and licenses to grow. We opened up our cultivation facility and invited the local police narcotics department to come take a tour. As we walked the Tucson Police Dept under the lights and among the rows of plants, one older detective tapped me on the shoulder and asked “This is huge! All these weed plants are legal? This is freaking awesome !” If only he knew how those words would resonate with me forever!
Legal cannabis operators need not fear law enforcement. It’s important for facility owners and dispensary owners to work with your local police. These are the brave folks who run in when everyone else runs away. It has long been one of my top fears to have my staff or self in danger because of this business. For that reason, security is a top priority for all our operations.
Back in the medical days, one of more conservative counties interpreted law as they saw fit.
I’m my more liberal county, they stopped chasing people for just cannabis long ago. If it was other drugs and cannabis they would prosecute for both. Unless it was some major illegal op, they left us alone.