Prohibition to Profit: Federal Inmates Talk About Opportunities in Legal Cannabis

Luke Scarmazzo and other former federal prisoners to talk about their comebacks in legal cannabis

LAS VEGAS, CA, UNITED STATES, December 2, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- MJBizCon 2025, the world’s largest cannabis conference, is amplifying its voice in the social justice space with a powerful new initiative. This year, the convention welcomes a first-of-its-kind speaking panel: “From Prohibition to Profit: The Comeback Stories of Legacy Operators.”

This unprecedented panel brings together three former federal cannabis prisoners—Luke Scarmazzo, Weldon Angelos, and Mike Yuen— alongside Susie Plascencia, founder of Latinas in Cannabis, who will serve as moderator. Together, they will share how these legacy operators, once incarcerated for cannabis offenses, are now thriving as brand founders in California’s fiercely competitive and rapidly contracting market.

Despite the challenges of a declining industry, these entrepreneurs are proving that resilience, expertise, and lived experience can fuel success. Attendees will gain insight into how legacy operators are leveraging their knowledge to build profitable businesses in one of the toughest cannabis climates in the nation.

The panel’s impact reaches far beyond the stage. It aims to inspire men and women who remain incarcerated for cannabis offenses by showcasing real examples of individuals who have overcome adversity and reclaimed their futures. At the same time, it offers the wider cannabis industry fresh, authentic voices—stories of operators who are not only surviving but innovating and generating revenue in today’s market.

MJBizCon 2025 invites attendees to join this transformative conversation at the Las Vegas Convention Center and witness how prohibition-era survivors are reshaping the future of cannabis.

Luke Scarmazzo is the author of High Price: The Luke Scarmazzo Story (Flower Valley Press, 2023). High Price is a thrilling journey into chasing the American Dream during a brief window when it was open to anyone willing to take the risk: the Wild West days of California’s early medical marijuana markets. Luke Scarmazzo, a working-class kid from Modesto, California, started the first state-legal cannabis dispensary in the conservative Central Valley. From humble beginnings and hard work, it seemed Luke and his team of high school friends were on the verge of establishing generational wealth and getting in on the ground level of what would become a multi-billion dollar legal industry. This page-turning tale chronicles the rise and tragic fall of Luke’s pioneering cannabis empire. Written from solitary confinement in a federal prison ten years later, as a pardon languished on President Trump’s desk, High Price is a mature and poignant reflection on poverty, opportunity, and the devastation left in the wake of America’s War on Drugs.

"This book is likely to become a canon in the chronicles of cannabis history, and is required reading for anyone seeking to understand where humanity went wrong regarding marijuana prohibition and criminalization." - Jackie Bryant, journalist

To interview Luke Scarmazzo, please contact Angela Bacca via Flower Valley Press at angela@flowervalley.press.

Angela Bacca
Flower Valley Press
+1 415-515-7483
Angelabacca@gmail.com

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