CA cannabis industry reacts to Glass House raids: ‘Everybody is definitely scared’

ICE RAID
California industry reacts to Glass House Raid: ‘Be wary’ 

Driving the news: Immigration and cannabis advocates are reeling over the federal raid of two cannabis grow sites in California that resulted in at least 361 arrests and 1 death. 

Last Friday, Americans for Safe Access (ASA) and the California Cannabis Industry Association (CCIA) hosted an emergency Zoom meeting with licensed operators (and a few reporters) where the two organizations gave an overview of past law enforcement actions against cannabis operators along with recent political developments that could indicate future action against legal cannabis operations. 

Back up for a second: Last week, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents raided two farms operated by Glass House Brands near Camarillo and Carpinteria in California. 

Those farms feature some of the largest cannabis grow operations in the state, but are also used to grow tomatoes and cucumbers. The raids were met with resistance from local protesters and relatives of the farm workers. Law enforcement reportedly used tear gas and rubber bullets in response.

One of the migrant workers, Jaime Alanís, reportedly fell off the roof of a greenhouse while attempting to flee authorities. Alanís sustained severe injuries and eventually died after he was removed from life support on Friday.

What they’re saying: "Yesterday, Glass House Brands received immigration and naturalization warrants. As per the law, we verified that the warrants were valid and we complied. Workers were detained and we are assisting them to provide legal representation," the company said in a social post on Friday.

And also: "Everyone definitely is scared and I think that was the idea. It worked." California Cannabis Industry Association President Caren Woodson said on Friday.

The Department of Homeland Security announced on Sunday that it had arrested 361 people at both Glass House sites for allegedly being undocumented. Of those, the department found two who committed violent crimes. Two more were identified with prior charges that included burglary and DUIs.

DHS claimed that 14 minors were arrested during the raid, but has been unable to definitively say what they were doing on site.

“This is quickly becoming one of the largest operations since President Trump took office,” said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin in a statement.

Why it matters: ASA and the CCIA raised concerns that the raids were the start of a Trump Administration shift against legal cannabis.

Members from the two groups discussed reactivating old raid alert systems they developed twenty years ago when California medical dispensaries had to worry about frequent federal raids. Rumors swirled that at least one DEA agent was present at the raids.

Woodson reminded participants on the call to remain skeptical about the accuracy of reports coming from DHS and the DOJ.

She added that in past decades when the federal government was routinely raiding medical dispensaries in California, busts were often accompanied with embellished or fabricated claims about illicit activity beyond what the state had authorized.

The final word: "Be wary of what you hear from federal law enforcement," she said.

-ZH

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LIT ALERTS’ INSIGHTS
Average monthly sales per store in 5 East Coast markets

It's often difficult for retailers to understand where they fall in comparison to their broader state market. Cannabis retail is a local business, so much of the comparison is often focused on their local town or surrounding towns.

Our partners at Lit Alerts looked at average monthly sales during Q2 of 2025 to give retailers in key East Coast markets a benchmark of what quartile their store currently falls in.

New York, New Jersey, and Maryland, considered growth markets as their adult-use programs started in the last the years, tell very different stories.

New Jersey and Maryland's top quartile is in a similar range while New York's top quartile trails by roughly 50%.

As you travel down the second, third, and fourth quartiles we see New York and New Jersey run much closer to each other while Maryland pulls away and is outperforming. Also note that Maryland has the lower number of retail stores in the five states analyzed.

Pennsylvania is the lone medical-only market in the group and, interestingly, looks the most reliable. The top quartile outperforms both New York and Massachusetts while the bottom quartile still boasts a respectable $200,000 per month per store.

Massachusetts is listed here for comparison purposes to see how a mature market is currently broken down. An interesting point is that New York is already tracking in similar patterns to Massachusetts only 2.5 years in.

Have a look at Lit Alerts’ exclusive insights. 👇

To learn more about Lit Alerts and get a special offer only available to Cultivated readers, visit litalerts.com.

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Check it out. 

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