Medical marijuana has been legal in California since the 90s, and recreational sales began in 2018. However, recently, California cannabis businesses had over a million dollars in cash seized from what many would call an armored car heist. The only thing that didn’t make this a heist was the officers didn’t wear masks and assassinate the drivers. They did, however, make off with over a million dollars in cash.

Last year San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies decided they were going to jack a large load of cash that was being transported by an armored car service. $1.1 million was seized by authorities and handed over to the FBI between two incidents that occurred in Rancho Cucamonga and Barstow.

Rancho Cucamonga might ring a bell as the spot Ice Cube’s Uncle, who won the lottery, was living in the movie Next Friday. That was actually Rancho Chookamongas, a fictional place, kind of like the fictional bust made by San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies. What a waste of resources and time the attempted confiscation of these hardworking businesses was. Not to mention the experience for the driver, which by the way, they targeted twice.

After undoubtedly praising themselves for their huge cash confiscation, the officers handed over the cash to the FBI. According to information online, when an asset seizure happens, “The money from seizures is split between the different agencies that are a part of the bust and then divided. If suspects appeal and are found innocent, police must return their items or reimburse them.”  

A Joint Effort at Standing Up for Recreational and Medical Cannabis Rights

Empyreal Logistics is the company authorities targeted in this heist twice. Empyreal didn’t just take it as a loss and change their route either. They took it to court. According to an article in the L.A. Times, “Empyreal Logistics, the company whose armored cars were carrying the seized currency, sought a court order in January to force the FBI and Sheriff’s Department to stop pulling over its vehicles and taking the cash without evidence of illegal activity. The FBI initially alleged that the $1.1 million, seized last year from armored cars pulled over by San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies in Barstow and Rancho Cucamonga, was tied to federal drug or money-laundering crimes, but nobody was charged.”

Apparently, after careful deliberation, the FBI decided it was in their best interest to give the money back. When questioned on why the FBI returned the money and dropped the allegations against Empyreal Logistics, U.S. attorney’s office spokesman in Los Angeles, Thom Mrozek, was quoted saying, “This was a decision considering the totality of the circumstances in this case.”

Shannon Dicus is the Sherriff of San Bernadino County and is tasked with cracking down on illegal cannabis operations in the high deserts, as some call them. Some people may believe that these were targeted cases, and they were. However, after closer inspection of the evidence, it was determined that the money confiscated needed to be returned, and it was.

In a “joint” statement, Sherriff Dicus and Empyreal Logistics told the media they “understand that each were acting in good faith when the stops were conducted.” Their joint statement also went on to say, “Both sides also acknowledge that Empyreal is part of the solution to help with financial transparency and that San Bernardino deputies are not highway robbers as previously reported in the media.”

It’s Time for a Positive Change with Federal Cannabis Policy

Seems to me a bit like somebody didn’t want to have the image of being known as highway robbers or bandits. Whatever the issue was, it is great to see that times are changing for legal cannabis in America. It wasn’t long ago that a cash seizure like this would have had no chance of being returned. The legal cannabis industry still faces many challenges. Both adult-use recreational cannabis and medical cannabis are big markets. States have laws that differ from the federal government, which sends out a message of confusion to many people in our country. 

If the IRS collects tax on cannabis, then why can’t legal cannabis businesses work with local banks? Why can’t we get medical cannabis covered by insurance like opioids, benzos, and other popular prescription drugs? Why do Americans have to worry about crossing state lines with small amounts of cannabis? When cannabis is legal recreationally in 18 states and medically in 37 states, why do some Americans still have to worry about being arrested for cannabis? Oh yeah, that’s right, the American federal government still clings to outdated cannabis policy from the 1930s!

During his presidential campaign, Joe Biden made the promise that “his administration will pursue cannabis decriminalization as well as seek expungements for people with prior cannabis convictions.” In October of 2020, he was quoted by media sources saying, “we should decriminalize marijuana, and I don’t believe anybody should be going to jail for drug use.”  

So far, this is the exact opposite of what President Biden has done. He has received countless letters from advocates, celebrities, and lawmakers asking him to do something about Federal cannabis prohibition. It’s not just celebrities and lawmakers; fellow politicians are even fed up. Elizabeth Warren had to go as far as sending a follow-up letter requesting a response after months of getting no response. 

Things Could be Different for Cannabis without Prohibition

The current federal stance supporting continued cannabis prohibition in our country is harming America, its citizens, and our planet. cannabis could be grown outdoors or in a greenhouse environment using the natural power of the sun and supplemented lighting from solar power. Instead, countless indoor grow operations consume an untold amount of watts of electricity each year in order to keep legal cannabis operations within state lines. Imagine the difference between growing cannabis in a state like Vermont versus growing cannabis in a state like Texas. Vermont has thousands of acres of protected forest with a very short outdoor growing season versus Texas, with thousands of acres of farmland/open space and an extremely long outdoor growing period.

Unfortunately, this isn’t possible, thanks to the current federal cannabis prohibition. Hopefully, the resolution of this lawsuit is just one of many more progressive steps that we will see as we continue on the road to making medical cannabis accessible for all. Share this post with others if you feel that cannabis businesses should be able to operate without harassment and that everyone should have safe and legal access to medical cannabis.

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