FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Capone of Cannabis: How Legalization Gave Way to Raids, Corruption, the CIA and the IRS
A True-Crime Investigative Memoir from the Front Lines of Early Medical Marijuana Dispensary Wars
Ryan Richmond’s new book chronicles task forces, political corruption, racism, taxes, betrayal and the collision of cannabis legalization with law enforcement power—now available.
The only American sent to federal prison over IRS Section 280E — the “pot tax.” High Times article March 26, 2026
Capone of Cannabis is a true-crime memoir from inside Michigan’s first dispensary battlefield—where raids replaced regulation, “task forces” replaced oversight, and the same people who lost at the ballot box found new ways to punish the winners. What follows is a relentless chain of surveillance, informants, and political vendettas that turns a medical movement into a hunting ground.
Part investigative thriller, part personal reckoning, Capone of Cannabis is the story of what happens when legalization moves faster than power—and power decides it would rather make an example than admit it was wrong.
In Capone of Cannabis, Richmond documents raids, prosecutions, and the financial pressure campaigns that followed—describing how official narratives, task forces, and asset forfeiture practices reshaped lives and businesses. The book also confronts the personal cost of being targeted, including moments Richmond describes as overtly dehumanizing and racially charged.
Excerpt 1 — “Feds: Operation Michigan Pot Shops”
“Operation Michigan Pot Shops, a federal task force green lit to stop the marijuana industry in Michigan even before it started. It sounded absurd—fake, even—but it kept showing up.”
Excerpt 2 — “Hillbilly Hitler Video”
“It wasn’t just one remark, or one bad slur. It was a tirade. A casual, open spillage of hatred from the mouth of the government sworn to serve and protect. The kind of language that would have made even Hillbilly Hitler flinch.”
Excerpt 3 — “Federal Prison”
“The first night dragged on like it was daring me to break. If I’m being honest, it was the first time since that first raid almost fifteen years earlier that I actually felt safe—no glancing over my shoulder, no bracing for the sound of boots at the door, no wondering if the day would end in another smashed-in office or home.
There was a strange, unsettling calm to it. I stared up at the dimmed ceiling lights, counting sprinkler heads like they were stars, breathing in the stale cocktail of old socks and disinfectant.”
Availability
- Availability: Sold at Select Independent Booksellers (Ingram), Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books and more.
- ISBN: 9798234051196
- Media Images: located below on this page
“People see the boutique dispensaries today, but they don’t know what it took to build this industry from the ground floor,” said Richmond. “This book is what it felt like inside the story—when the rules kept changing, the pressure kept escalating, and you realized it wasn’t just about cannabis. It was about control.”
About the Author
Ryan Richmond is a serial entrepreneur and one of Michigan’s early dispensary pioneers, building in the medical cannabis space when the rules were still being written in real time. He’s also the founder of Hemp Well, a hemp-based pet supplement company focused on helping pets thrive. Ryan lives in Michigan with his wife, two kids, and their dog.
Media & Interview Requests
caponeofcannabis @ gmail.com
