TOPEKA (KSNT) – A cannabis dispensary that was raided by local law enforcement on April 20, 2022 in Topeka has moved to Lawrence.

27 News spoke with a representative of Guardian MMJ who identified himself as Murray. He confirmed that their business has now moved to the Lawrence area and can be found at 1025 Massachusetts St. When asked about the decision to move east, Murray said that Lawrence has been very welcoming so far.

“We were welcomed in, no problem,” Murray said. “Unfortunately, Shawnee County and Topeka are not as progressive with taking the steps that the community wants or needs.”

Guardian MMJ sells a variety of hemp-related products and will be expanding their inventory to include Delta-8 tinctures once it is finished moving in. The expected opening date for their new spot in Lawrence will be June 15, 2022 according to their website.

Murray confirmed that their decision to move to Lawrence was a byproduct of the search warrant executed against Guardian MMJ earlier this year.

“The Shawnee County Sheriff put a cease and desist order out,” Murray said. “That’ll be worked out in our civil case that’s going on. I can’t comment on that much right now. We would like to be somewhere we can operate our legal store, have a good following and not be harassed by law enforcement.”

The initial raid of Guardian MMJ was followed up with subsequent raids on other CBD stores in Shawnee County, causing concern for local hemp advocates. The legalization of marijuana in Kansas is still an ongoing conversation which has, for 2022, ended as the state’s legislative session ended without any major decisions coming about on marijuana. Kansas currently enforces the marijuana ban with a drug tax.

To see the Guardian MMJ’s website, click here.