Fake news is unfortunately rampant in our age of mass communication, and the marijuana industry is not immune. There are sites reporting that the Trump Administration is planning on raiding legal dispensaries in various states, and after investigating these reports, 420 Intel concludes that these claims are unfounded. We cannot find any evidence to support them, and we are warning cannabis busineses to be wary of speculative articles like this one (note the clickbaity title):

Trump's administration intend to raid legal marijuana dispensaries

As you might have expected, new U.S. President is launching an attack on states’ rights to regulate legal marijuana consumption and threatening to establish central control.

According to White House press secretary Sean Spicer, the federal administration doesn’t approve of the state-level legalisation of cannabis and plans to enforce the national ban. That would be a sudden U-turn in comparison with the previous government under Obama when states were mostly left alone to determine and observe their own laws regarding medical and recreational use of marijuana. In fact, such a measure would be an echo of George W. Bush, who routinely sent federal agencies to raid dispensaries in California and other states. While Spicer didn’t specify how far Donald Trump’s government is willing to go, he did hint at a higher level of involvement by national services such as the DEA.

Of course, it’s a well-known fact that federal regulations in the United States are in direct conflict with statewide laws voted in by citizens of numerous constituent legislations. Since most drug investigations are carried out locally by specialised agencies, there is little need for federal oversight except in cases that involve international or interstate smuggling. Sending federal agents to suppress small-time cannabis shops in states where they are operating legally and paying taxes seems like a waste of budget resources at best and serious infringement on states’ constitutional status at worst.

Be cautious when skimming headlines - click on the article and read what it says, and where the sources are coming from. Politicians and businesses stand to profit from manipulating the news to meet their objectives, but the only way we can make informed decisions (personal, political, and business) is to have all the facts.