Business
As marijuana break-ins skyrocket in California, business owners take action
Security cameras captured break-ins at SOG Army, which runs cannabis cultivation and distribution operations in California. (Photos courtesy of B.J. Hughes)
Like most marijuana business owners he knows in California, Sebastian Maldonado’s vertically integrated cannabis company, Delta Boyz, has been burglarized repeatedly.
Maldonado, a Delta Boyz co-owner, estimates the company – which operates a store, distribution center and cultivation facility south of Sacramento, in Isleton – has suffered $1 million in stolen product over the past three years.
Instead of improving, however, the 2 a.m. alarms, broken doors, busted locks and pilfered high-end cannabis Maldonado later sees fenced on Instagram has worsened.
Four incidents occurred in March alone at Delta Boyz: three attempts and one successful break-in, according to Maldonado.
Despite ample security footage and alarms that immediately notify police of a burglary in progress, only one of those incidents resulted in an arrest.
Across California, burglaries continue to plague licensed cannabis businesses with near impunity – sometimes with deadly results.
The ongoing crime wave is forcing business owners to spend thousands of dollars a month on security measures.
Moreover, the growing rash of unsolved crimes is ringing alarm bells among cannabis executives, who are concerned about the negative impact on the state’s legal industry.
According to state data obtained by MJBizDaily, reported break-ins and burglaries at California cannabis businesses more than doubled from 2021 to 2022.
This year, according to multiple interviews, the crimes have become more sophisticated, with break-in crews armed with sophisticated tools appearing at distribution warehouses that don’t have a publicly listed address.
That’s led business owners to suspect an “inside job”: someone currently or formerly employed in the industry, who would know where to go and what to look for, and whose identity would be in the state-mandated database of qualified cannabis employees.
But since the break-ins have continued and law enforcement has made few arrests, frustrated and exhausted business owners say they’ve been forced to take matters into their own hands.
On Thursday, a coterie of at least a half-dozen licensed cannabis businesses, including Cookies-branded Berner’s on Haight in San Francisco, will make a public appeal.
They’ll offer reward money for information that leads to any arrests, as well as an ultimatum: If authorities cannot stem the tide of break-ins, the marijuana legalization experiment is at risk.
And it’s only a matter of time before more people are seriously hurt or killed, they say.
Getting worse
Industry officials say the break-ins at licensed cannabis businesses in California gathered momentum during the chaos and confusion of the May-June 2020 protests that followed George Floyd’s murder.
Since then, the break-ins have risen rapidly after COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns were lifted, according to state data.
In 2022, licensed businesses in California reported 329 break-ins or burglaries with losses, according to California Department of Cannabis Control figures provided to MJBizDaily.
That’s more than double the 147 burglaries reported in 2021.
The worst-hit counties were Los Angeles, the state’s most-populous, with 111 reported incidents.
Alameda County, home to cannabis-friendly cities Berkeley and Oakland, had 52 reported incidents.
Through March 24 of this year, 85 break-ins had been reported to the DCC, according to state data.
Many break-ins follow a pattern, with several carloads of individuals showing up at businesses in the wee hours.
Several have been described as “brazen,” with security gates pulled from their frames by vehicles.
That’s what happened last month at Reese Benton’s Posh Green, one of the few San Francisco marijuana businesses owned by a Black woman.
San Francisco police confirmed the break-in at Posh Green. No arrests have been made.
It’s unclear how many break-ins result in arrests. That data is not kept by the DCC.
At least several times, break-ins have turned fatal.
Individual law enforcement agencies, including the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office and San Francisco police, did not immediately respond to requests for comment about their approach to such crimes.
But among licensed business owners, the near-universal belief is that law enforcement simply does not prioritize crimes against marijuana businesses.
“No police in any jurisdiction has helped at all,” said B.J. Hughes of SOG Army, which runs cultivation and distribution operations in Santa Rosa, in Sonoma County, and Redding, in Shasta County.
In both places, he says, police response times were appallingly slow, and law enforcement seemed uninterested in pursuing a case.
After a recent break-in in Santa Rosa, Hughes said, police responded 25 minutes after the first alarms were triggered.
In Redding, he said, the response time was 40 minutes.
Hughes said he provided security-camera footage with license plate numbers to police, but no arrests have been made.
Even after he hired a private investigator who identified a potential perpetrator – whom Hughes believes might have been formerly employed by a licensed distributor who had visited his facility – police “did not care to follow up,” he said.
“Nobody gives a s***,” he said. “They just feel like this is the cost of doing business.
“We can’t make the police do anything.”
Arm yourself
The problem is worsening despite widespread awareness, with security footage showing gangs of hooded burglars loading up cars with cash and product appearing on the evening news.
At the suggestion of law enforcement, Maldonado hired 24-hour security guards armed with semi-automatic AR-15 rifles.
The monthly tab is $20,000 per month, which “eats away at our margins,” he said.
And Maldonado is well aware of the risk of a shootout, which could lead to him losing his business licenses.
“It’s just an absolute nightmare,” he said.
Even with well-armed guards, the break-ins have continued.
After he lost $250,000 during a late-January heist, carloads of burglars showed up four times in March, Maldonado said.
Sacramento County sheriff’s deputies made an arrest – and that was only after Delta Boyz took matters into its own hands.
After a March 5 break-in, Maldonado said, “we followed one of the cars full of our weed” all the way from Isleton to the Sacramento city limits, about a 45-minute drive on twisty country roads and Interstate 5, he said.
Waiting sheriff’s deputies intercepted the alleged burglars at a highway off-ramp and arrested them, but even then, Maldonado didn’t recover any losses:
The stolen product is sitting in a sheriff’s department evidence locker, getting stale, he said.
Inside job
In San Francisco, burglars hit Sunset Connect – a social equity-licensed distribution and manufacturing facility in the city’s semi-industrial South of Market district – in the wee hours of March 29, according to owner and founder Ali Jamalian, who shared security-camera footage with MJBizDaily.
Located next to one of the many auto-body shops in the area, Sunset Connect’s address isn’t publicly listed, either on the state DCC’s database or via aggregators such as Weedmaps that advertise marijuana retailers.
From the street, the business looks low-key: a matte-black paint job over bricks and a roll-down steel gate with zero signage.
Both the expansion of burglaries of retailers and the burglars’ conduct is indicative of an “inside job,” Jamalian said.
“It’s definitely someone from within the industry that’s doing these hits, or formerly part of this industry,” he said.
“I think that is obvious by the way they move through our facilities. They know what to look for.”
‘Needs to be addressed’
On Thursday, Jamalian and several other San Francisco business owners whose dispensaries or warehouses have been robbed – including a location of Stiiizy, where armed assailants kidnapped an employee and drove him across the Bay Bridge to Oakland and back before forcing him to open locked areas – will make a public appeal for better law enforcement response as well as attention from elected officials.
If politicians prioritized defending marijuana stores, police response times would improve, said Wesley Hein, president of the Cannabis Distribution Association, which advocates for the 1,000-plus licensed distributors in California.
“The problem is not insurmountable … but on aggregate, this has not been prioritized,” he said, noting a common complaint: Cannabis businesses do not enjoy the public services they should considering the steep taxes they pay, with local sales and excise taxes heaped upon state excise taxes.
“This industry deserves better services across the board,” he said.
“This needs to be addressed now.”
Source: https://mjbizdaily.com/california-cannabis-operators-take-action-as-break-ins-skyrocket/
Business
A Tipping Point for Cannabis: President Trump Champions CBD & Cannabis Science on Truth Social
When the President of the United States shares a video about the life changing potential of hemp derived CBD on his personal social media platform, it is more than news, it is a cultural shift.
For decades our government lied to us about cannabis. It demonized the plant, waged war on its users, and filled prisons while allowing pharmaceutical companies to flood the nation with addictive and deadly drugs. For over a century we have been fighting uphill, not just for legalization, but for truth, for science, and for the right to heal ourselves naturally.
Now in 2025, the most powerful political figure on Earth is using his own voice and platform to talk about the endocannabinoid system and the science backed benefits of CBD. That is monumental. It is validation for everyone who has fought, been arrested, been silenced, and been dismissed for telling this truth. The President’s video post is already being described as a pivotal moment in cannabis history, and President Trump CBD Cannabis Science Truth Social is trending across platforms as advocates celebrate the breakthrough.
The Science Behind the Endocannabinoid System
The video begins by introducing something most people, including many doctors, still know little about, the endocannabinoid system. Discovered in the 1990s, the ECS is a network of receptors and signaling molecules that works as the body’s master regulator, coordinating communication between major systems like the nervous, immune, cardiovascular, and digestive systems.
The roots of this discovery go back much further. CBD was first isolated in 1940 by American chemist Roger Adams, but it was Dr. Raphael Mechoulam, an Israeli organic chemist, who fully elucidated the chemical structure of CBD and identified its stereochemistry in the 1960s. His pioneering work not only opened the door to modern cannabinoid science but also earned him the title “Godfather of Cannabis Research.” It was this foundation that led to the identification of the endocannabinoid system itself decades later, revealing how cannabinoids interact with our physiology on a fundamental level.
The ECS is now widely recognized as a vital part of human biology, with extensive research supported by the National Institutes of Health. When functioning properly, the ECS acts like the conductor of an orchestra, ensuring every section plays in harmony. As we age, the system weakens. That imbalance is linked to inflammation, chronic pain, cognitive decline, sleep problems, and many other conditions associated with aging.
Mainstream medicine often addresses these issues with pharmaceutical band aids, dangerous and addictive drugs that treat symptoms rather than root causes. Lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise help, but they only partially support the ECS and do so slowly over time.
Hemp Derived CBD: A Game Changer for Aging
Here is where the science gets exciting. As the video explains, the ECS can be restored much more quickly with hemp derived CBD. Strengthening this system naturally helps the body regain balance, reducing pain, improving sleep, lowering stress, slowing disease progression, and even extending healthy lifespan.
It is not theoretical. One in five seniors is already using CBD to manage pain, arthritis, cancer symptoms, sleep disorders, Alzheimer’s, and more. Despite decades of research and acknowledgment from institutions like the National Institutes of Health, most physicians receive no training on the ECS. There are still no FDA standards for CBD products on the market. If that were the case for any other class of medicine, it would be considered malpractice.
The World Health Organization has confirmed CBD’s excellent safety profile and non addictive nature in its critical review report. The result is that millions of older Americans are suffering unnecessarily when a safe and natural solution exists.
Hemp derived CBD is a powerful first step in restoring balance to the endocannabinoid system, but it is only part of the picture. Research shows that full spectrum cannabis extracts, which include a broader range of cannabinoids and terpenes, can work even more effectively. Complete concentrated cannabis oil, containing the full spectrum of natural endocannabinoids, may deliver the most profound results for certain patients. Expanding access to these therapies will be essential if we want to unlock the full healing potential of this plant.
The Economic and Social Impact
The video cites a powerful figure. A PricewaterhouseCoopers analysis estimates that fully integrating cannabis into the healthcare system could save the United States nearly 64 billion dollars annually. These savings reflect reduced pharmaceutical dependency, fewer hospitalizations, improved chronic disease outcomes, and enhanced quality of life for aging Americans. You can read more about PwC’s research on healthcare innovation here.
It is a financial argument, but it is also a moral one. Why should our elders endure pain, anxiety, and cognitive decline when nature has given us tools to help them live longer, happier, and healthier lives?
A Call to Action: Finish What the Farm Bill Started
The message concludes by crediting the 2018 Farm Bill, championed by President Trump, for legalizing hemp and laying the groundwork for today’s CBD market. The Farm Bill was just the first step.
Now the call is for bold next moves.
- Educate doctors about the endocannabinoid system
- Include CBD under Medicare coverage
- Provide clear federal standards for CBD quality and dosing
These steps would constitute the most significant senior health reform in modern history, one that would transform aging and cement a powerful legacy for any administration that makes it happen.
What This Means for Future Cannabis Medicine
For those of us who have been in the cannabis community for decades, this is not just another news story. It is a signal that our movement is winning. A conversation that was once criminalized and censored is now being amplified by the President of the United States on his own platform.
It means the science is undeniable. It means the truth can no longer be buried. It means the wall of prohibition is cracking, not just legally, but culturally, scientifically, and politically.
It also means that everything we have been fighting for at 420 Magazine since 1993, education, access, healing, and justice, is finally moving full steam ahead. The President Trump CBD Cannabis Science Truth Social moment is proof that science and policy are finally converging.
New Mexico regulators fined a cannabis operator nearly $300,000 and revoked its license after the company allegedly created fake reports in the state’s traceability software.
The New Mexico Cannabis Control Division (CCD) accused marijuana manufacturer and retailer Golden Roots of 11 violations, according to Albuquerque Business First.
Golden Roots operates the The Cannabis Revolution Dispensary.
The majority of the violations are related to the Albuquerque company’s improper use of BioTrack, which has been New Mexico’s track-and-trace vendor since 2015.
The CCD alleges Golden Roots reported marijuana production only two months after it had received its vertically integrated license, according to Albuquerque Business First.
Because cannabis takes longer than two months to be cultivated, the CCD was suspicious of the report.
After inspecting the company’s premises, the CCD alleged Golden Roots reported cultivation, transportation and sales in BioTrack but wasn’t able to provide officers who inspected the site evidence that the operator was cultivating cannabis.
In April, the CCD revoked Golden Roots’ license and issued a $10,000 fine, according to the news outlet.
The company requested a hearing, which the regulator scheduled for Sept. 1.
At the hearing, the CCD testified that the company’s dried-cannabis weights in BioTrack were suspicious because they didn’t seem to accurately reflect how much weight marijuana loses as it dries.
Company employees also poorly accounted for why they were making adjustments in the system of up to 24 pounds of cannabis, making comments such as “bad” or “mistake” in the software, Albuquerque Business First reported.
Golden Roots was fined $298,972.05 – the amount regulators allege the company made selling products that weren’t properly accounted for in BioTrack.
The CCD has been cracking down on cannabis operators accused of selling products procured from out-of-state or not grown legally:
- Regulators alleged in August that Albuquerque dispensary Sawmill Sweet Leaf sold out-of-state products and didn’t have a license for extraction.
- Paradise Exotics Distro lost its license in July after regulators alleged the company sold products made in California.
Golden Roots was the first alleged rulebreaker in New Mexico to be asked to pay a large fine.
Source: https://mjbizdaily.com/new-mexico-cannabis-operator-fined-loses-license-for-alleged-biotrack-fraud/
Four marijuana companies, including a multistate operator, have filed a lawsuit against U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland in which they allege the federal MJ prohibition under the Controlled Substances Act is no longer constitutional.
According to the complaint, filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, retailer Canna Provisions, Treevit delivery service CEO Gyasi Sellers, cultivator Wiseacre Farm and MSO Verano Holdings Corp. are all harmed by “the federal government’s unconstitutional ban on cultivating, manufacturing, distributing, or possessing intrastate marijuana.”
Verano is headquartered in Chicago but has operations in Massachusetts; the other three operators are based in Massachusetts.
The lawsuit seeks a ruling that the “Controlled Substances Act is unconstitutional as applied to the intrastate cultivation, manufacture, possession, and distribution of marijuana pursuant to state law.”
The companies want the case to go before the U.S. Supreme Court.
They hired prominent law firm Boies Schiller Flexner to represent them.
The New York-based firm’s principal is David Boies, whose former clients include Microsoft, former presidential candidate Al Gore and Elizabeth Holmes’ disgraced startup Theranos.
Similar challenges to the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA) have failed.
One such challenge led to a landmark Supreme Court decision in 2005.
In Gonzalez vs. Raich, the highest court in the United States ruled in a 6-3 decision that the commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution gave Congress the power to outlaw marijuana federally, even though state laws allow the cultivation and sale of cannabis.
In the 18 years since that ruling, 23 states and the District of Columbia have legalized adult-use marijuana and the federal government has allowed a multibillion-dollar cannabis industry to thrive.
Since both Congress and the U.S. Department of Justice, currently headed by Garland, have declined to intervene in state-licensed marijuana markets, the key facts that led to the Supreme Court’s 2005 ruling “no longer apply,” Boies said in a statement Thursday.
“The Supreme Court has since made clear that the federal government lacks the authority to regulate purely intrastate commerce,” Boies said.
“Moreover, the facts on which those precedents are based are no longer true.”
Verano President Darren Weiss said in a statement the company is “prepared to bring this case all the way to the Supreme Court in order to align federal law with how Congress has acted for years.”
While the Biden administration’s push to reschedule marijuana would help solve marijuana operators’ federal tax woes, neither rescheduling nor modest Congressional reforms such as the SAFER Banking Act “solve the fundamental issue,” Weiss added.
“The application of the CSA to lawful state-run cannabis business is an unconstitutional overreach on state sovereignty that has led to decades of harm, failed businesses, lost jobs, and unsafe working conditions.”
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