US riots also ravaging cannabis dispensaries

Protests over the murder of George Floyd by the Minneapolis police have unleashed the biggest wave of anti-racist protests in the past 50 years. But, once again, many protests have led to looting, and videos are proliferating in which crowds ravage the stocks of department stores and shops.

Cannabis dispensaries have been no exception: dozens of establishments throughout the United States have been targets of looting, according to High Life, based on testimonies and videos appearing on social media.

The publication lists various cannabis establishments that have been hit by looters on the West Coast, from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Dispensaries such as MedMen, LA Kush and Cookies Melrose, one of the most select and well-known in LA, have been raided.

However, the founder of Cookies Melrose, rapper Berner, surprised many by supporting the protests from his Instagram account and accepting the looting of his business as a lesser evil:

"What happened last night at our Melrose facility is extremely unfortunate. However, as a human being who lives in today's world, I cannot wait until justice is done," Berner told his 1.7 million followers on the social network.

"We can rebuild our store, but we cannot bring anyone back to life. That said, we support what is happening in the world. A statement needs to be made. I pray that everyone remains safe and protects their family at a time like this."

Along the same hip-hop lines, a day earlier Anonymous had allegedly hacked into the Chicago police radio system to play the 1988 song Fuck the Police. Of course, any overlap between Berner's adolescent rap and NWA's fierce tirade is pure coincidence.

In Oakland and San Francisco the Magnolia Wellness establishment also suffered looting by armed robbers taking advantage of the chaos sown by the protests. As was the case with Berner, its owner Debby Goldsberry regrets the looting but continues to support the expressions of outrage over the death of George Floyd:

"Our store can be rebuilt, but the lives stolen by the police are gone forever. The police are murdering people right before our eyes, and the rage has exploded".

Goldsberry has been named a Freedom Fighter by High Times magazine and is a high-profile activist against racism and defending cannabis.

The only person affected who opposed this violent form of "protest" was fellow rapper B Real, from the legendary Cypress Hill, owner of the Dr. Green Thumbs chain in California:

"Assaulting, looting and burning businesses during a pandemic are not going to bring the change we need. It's a step backwards. Protest peacefully and reject the instigators who are not there on behalf of George Floyd," wrote B Real on Twitter.

The truth is that the legitimate protests against the brutal police action in Minneapolis are serving as a smokescreen for professional thieves, who are exploiting the social chaos to loot cannabis establishments.