Nearly two weeks after the Trump administration staged major raids at two legal cannabis farm sites in California, the reason for the operation remains unclear.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — There are thousands of illegal marijuana farms around the country.

But when the federal government decided to stage one of its largest raids since President Donald Trump took office in January, it picked the biggest legal grower in California.

Nearly two weeks later, the reason for the federal raid at two Glass House farm sites northwest of Los Angeles remains unclear and has prompted speculation. Some say the raid was intended to send a chilling message to immigrants in the U.S. illegally — but also to rattle the state’s legal cannabis industry.

Meanwhile, the Republican Trump administration has been feuding with heavily Democratic California over funding for everything from high-speed rail construction to wildfire relief, so it’s also possible Glass House was pulled into a broader conflict between the White House and Sacramento.

“There are plenty of other places they can go to find illegal workers,” said political consultant Adam Spiker, who advises cannabis companies. “A lot of people believe there is a hint of politics in this. It’s federal enforcement coming into California to go after cannabis.”

  • cymbal_king@lemmy.world
    109·
    2 days ago

    The Biden administration was in the process of federally legalizing cannabis through the proper regulatory channels, but couldn’t finish in time before his term ended.

    • NauticalNoodle@lemmy.ml
      324·
      2 days ago

      No, he wasn’t even going to legalize it. He was just going to reschedule weed to the same class of drug as heroin opium, and he didn’t even do that. The fact that he vowed to do that from day one and still did nothing is a perfect example of my point, however.

      • cymbal_king@lemmy.world
        113·
        2 days ago

        It currently is the same schedule as heroin (schedule 1)… “Rescheduling” is the name of the regulatory process that was ongoing, but could not conclude in time. These things take time to do properly and hold up in court and make them stick, it wasn’t from lack of desire.

        • NauticalNoodle@lemmy.ml
          141·
          2 days ago

          When you say it like that it’s almost like we could have convicted and imprisoned Trump but legal-procedings similarly “could not conclude in time. These things take time to do properly and hold up in court and make them stick, it wasn’t from lack of desire.”

          It very much was from a lack of desire. They had 4 years.

          • FuglyDuck@lemmy.worldEnglish
            41·
            23 hours ago

            “Not getting done in time” is going to be the polite description of biden’s legacy. For so many things.

        • CharlesDarwin@lemmy.worldEnglish
          91·
          2 days ago

          Not sure why Biden couldn’t just issue lots of (meaningful) EOs and then tell courts to try to enforce them if they disagree. Including on the cannabis issue. At the same time, he could initiate/shepherd the longer process, which, as you point out, takes a long time.

          Can someone like Taco come in and reverse EOs? Of course, but at least make someone like Taco do that reversal.