The weekend saw the burglary of the Los Angeles area marijuana shop of comedian Bill Maher, and Woody Harrelson. It appears that this crime is part of an ongoing series targeting cannabis business in the Los Angeles region.
The burglary at The Woods, a retailer that the celebrities launched in partnership with tennis star John McEnroe in West Hollywood in 2022, took place on Saturday—with security cameras capturing the smash-and-grab that showed multiple people breaking windows to enter the facility and taking marijuana products before making their exit.
As of now, police are unable to identify the suspected perpetrators. Pro-reform legislators and advocates have insisted that, without federal legalization, and access for the industry to conventional banking services, cannabis businesses operating under state law will be exposed to a disproportionate risk.
TMZ stated that in this instance, the burglary happened early Saturday morning without any customers or employees present. Over recent years, however, there have been numerous examples of dispensary employees being injured or killed in robberies at marijuana retailers—underscoring the unique threat the industry faces under the current system.
Elliot Lewis, CEO of the cannabis dispensary chain Catalyst, shared the video of the burglary—as well as another in Santa Monica that he attributed to the same group that hit The Woods—in an Instagram post on Monday.
He said, “Back to back robberies and shots were fired. Just another weekend in LA.” Does nobody give a damn about people who are trying to create something and only seem to care about those that want to destroy it? It must make sense. Bring back common sense.
Harrelson is also the co-owner of The Woods. He was involved recently in California’s marijuana reform movement, which included a call to Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat from California, has been asked to sign the bill that legalized marijuana cafes last year. The governor did give the measure final approval last September.
Harrelson, in February, said that if he had to choose someone to visit the “Ganja Giggle Garden,” he would pick Bob Marley. The actor did admit that, if he had to choose someone for the cafe’s patronage, he would pick Bob Marley.
Harrelson revealed separately in 2017 he used cannabis as a way to get through an evening with Donald Trump.
Maher’s co-owner, on his own, grabbed headlines in the last few months after calling Trump “gracious” and “measured”, during a private dinner he had with Kid Rock at the White House. The well-known marijuana enthusiast also insisted that he was “not high” at the time of the meeting.
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