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LONG BEACH, Calif. and TORONTO, Aug. 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Glass House Brands Inc. (“Glass House” or the “Company”) (CBOE CA: GLAS.A.U) (CBOE CA: GLAS.WT.U) (OTCQX: GLASF) (OTCQX:GHBWF), one of the fastest-growing, vertically-integrated cannabis companies in the U.S., today announced updates to recent events.
On July 10, 2025 federal officers led by US. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the Department of Homeland Security raided two of the Company’s farms.
A federal search warrant was served authorizing the search for evidence of possible immigration violations under Title 8 of the United States Code.Very few documents were seized pursuant to the search warrant.The government and media have reported that approximately 360 individuals were detained or arrested during the raids for immigration violations. The Company has been unable to verify the actual number or the identities of those detained.Nine employees of the Company were detained or arrested.Any other individuals detained or arrested would have been either employees of third-party contractors providing services at the Company’s Camarillo farm, including the Farm Labor Contractors providing labor for the agricultural operations, or were unassociated with the Company. Third-party Farm Labor Contractors were required by agreement to ensure that each of their employees assigned to one of the Company’s facilities must be twenty-one and older and have valid work authorization.Federal authorities have reported that approximately eleven minors, ranging in age from 14 to 17 years old, were detained during the raids. While the identities of the alleged minors have not been disclosed, the Company has been able to determine that, if those reports are true, none of them were Glass House employees.Federal labor law and California labor law permit minors as young as 12 years old to work in agriculture. As required by California cannabis regulations, however, the Company requires that no one under the age of 21 work in any facility, and that the third-party Farm Labor Contractors verify and ensure that all workers they hire and assign to the Company’s facilities are over the age of 21.An employee of the security contractor for the Camarillo facility, George Retes, was reportedly detained for three days without charges. He is a US citizen and Army veteran.One employee of a third-party contractor, Jaime Alanis Garcia, died from injuries sustained during the raid.The media also reported that violent protests broke out outside the law enforcement barricades in response to the raids and resulting detentions/arrests. It is the Company’s belief that no employees of the Company were in any way involved in the protests.To the Company’s knowledge, none of the individuals working at the Company’s facilities on July 10, 2025 were paid less than either the federal or California minimum wage. The Company has always paid a competitive and legal wage for workers, including both its employees and any third-party workers.For the first six months of 2025, labor contractors were paid an average net (of fees paid to the Farm Labor Companies) hourly rate of approximately $18.60 per hour. The net hourly rate was more than 12% higher than California’s minimum wage requirement (one of the highest of any state in the country) and 2.2x higher than the federal minimum wage.
Subsequent to July 10th, the Company has undergone significant changes.
The Company terminated its relationship with the two Farm Labor Contractors providing workers for its farms.The Company has revised its Farm Labor Contractor agreements to ensure that their compliance processes are best in class and in accordance with the latest Company standards.The Company has engaged new Farm Labor Contractors to provide workers pursuant to the best in class agreements.The Company has required the two Farm Labor Contractors who had been terminated to agree to and implement the new enhanced compliance procedures before any of its workers would be allowed access to Glass House facilities.The Company has made significant changes to labor practices that are above and beyond legal requirements.Since July 10, 2025, the Company has hired leading compliance consultants Guidepost Services, led by former Director of ICE and Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Julie Myers Wood, to assist the Company’s counsel with implementing best practices for determining employment eligibility for its employees and for ensuring eligibility of employees of contractors.All employees of the Company and Farm labor are now E-verified and the underlying documents are reviewed by experts for validity and age gating.The Company has enhanced age gating controls for everyone entering the farms including contracted employees, 3rd party vendors, visitors, customers, and employees of the Company.The Company has signed a Labor Peace Agreement for its license-holding entities (including the farm facilities) with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the largest labor organization in the United States. The agreement allows for the Teamsters to present to employees throughout the Company and the Company will cooperate with those efforts.
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About Glass House Brands Inc.
Glass House is one of the fastest-growing, vertically integrated cannabis companies in the U.S., with a dedicated focus on the California market and building leading, lasting brands to serve consumers across all segments. Whether it be through its portfolio of brands, which includes Glass House Farms, PLUS Products, Allswell and Mama Sue Wellness or its network of retail dispensaries throughout the state of California, which includes The Farmacy, Natural Healing Center and The Pottery, Glass House is committed to realizing its vision of excellence: outstanding cannabis products, produced sustainably, for the benefit of all. For more information and company updates, visit http://www.glasshousebrands.com/ and https://ir.glasshousebrands.com/contact/email-alerts/.
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Forward Looking Statements
This news release contains certain forward-looking information and forward-looking statements, as defined in applicable securities laws (collectively referred to herein as “forward-looking statements”). Forward-looking statements reflect current expectations or beliefs regarding future events or the Company’s future performance or financial results. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as “plans”, “expects”, “is expected”, “budget”, “scheduled”, “estimates”, “continues”, “forecasts”, “projects”, “predicts”, “intends”, “anticipates”, “targets” or “believes”, or variations of, or the negatives of, such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results “may”, “could”, “would”, “should”, “might” or “will” be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, without limitation, statements regarding the Company’s financial outlook or operational plans and statements related to future market conditions. All forward-looking statements, including those herein, are qualified by this cautionary statement. Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in such statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. There are certain factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking information, including those risks disclosed in the Company’s Annual Information Form available on SEDAR+ at http://www.sedarplus.ca and in the Company’s Form 40-F available on EDGAR at http://www.sec.gov. For more information on the Company, investors are encouraged to review the Company’s public filings on SEDAR+ at http://www.sedarplus.ca. The forward-looking statements and financial outlooks contained in this news release speak only as of the date of this news release or as of the date or dates specified in such statements. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law.
For further information, please contact:
Glass House Brands Inc.
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Jon DeCourcey, Vice President of Investor Relations
T: (781) 724 6869
E: [email protected]
Investor Relations Contact:
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KCSA Strategic Communications
Phil Carlson
T: 212-896-1233
E: [email protected]
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