The FBI’s announcement that it is probing public corruption in the legal marijuana industry has stirred up strong reactions among cannabis insiders.
While some complain the FBI’s scrutiny is another example of how the legal MJ industry is being unfairly targeted as if it’s a bottomless gold mine, others welcome the feds’ attention to illicit influence on licensing decisions.
Cannabis legal experts also said the issue underscores the need for regulatory regimes that, as much as possible, can cordon off the political backstreets to lucrative business licenses.
FBI scrutiny “actually can be a good thing,” said California cannabis attorney Henry Wykowski, a former federal prosecutor.
“I think some people are taking advantage of the industry, and we’re entitled to the same protection other industries receive.”
Donna More, a partner in Fox Rothschild’s Chicago law office, concurred.
“The bottom line is that you want the industry to be clean,” she said.
“That was the rationalization for legalizing. You want it out in the open from the shadows of the black market.”
The FBI discussed the problem of public corruption in the marijuana industry in a 72-second podcast, a weekly feature that often highlights emerging enforcement issues.