Some people find their lane in cannabis by accident. Others are born into it. For Yarrow Kubrin, the plant has been part of his DNA since childhood, long before zoning laws, license applications, and adult-use permits ever existed.
“I was trimming for my mom by age eleven,” Yarrow says, reflecting on his early years growing up in Mendocino County, a region synonymous with legacy cannabis cultivation. “She was a Mendocino legacy cultivator. Real estate became my lane later, but the roots have always been in the plant.”
What started as helping on the family farm evolved into a lifelong passion that bridged agriculture, architecture, and business. Yarrow’s journey, from trimming tables to property closings, reads like a survival manual for anyone who’s ever bet their future on cannabis before it was cool, and before it was legal.
Finding Opportunity in Cannabis and Real Estate
Yarrow got into property back in 2004, buying, holding, and eventually helping others to buy and sell. When legalization began reshaping the landscape, he merged his two worlds, cannabis and real estate, into one unified focus.
“I had already been cultivating on properties me and my family owned,” he explains. “I really enjoyed designing and building out grows. Cannabis real estate became my lane when I merged both.”
While most people in real estate ran from cannabis clients, Yarrow ran toward them. He saw opportunity where others saw risk. And in the process, he built a business helping operators navigate one of the most complex, unpredictable sectors in American commerce.
But the path wasn’t smooth, and it definitely wasn’t legal the whole way there.
Locked Up and Let Down With Yarrow Kubrin
Like many legacy operators, Yarrow’s journey was defined not just by success but by survival. “I have cannabis felonies from my teens, twenties, and forties,” he says. “The last case I fought for five years and was sentenced to five years in prison. I was extremely fortunate and spent six months in county.”
Being locked up on the eve of legalization left him frustrated, but also fired up.
“It shaped me because I thought being in jail on the precipice of adult-use being legal was bullshit. I vowed to get out and win in the new paradigm.”
That vow became his mission. With a record that would close doors for most people, Yarrow found new ones to open. “I needed to find a way without a real estate license to leverage what I knew, who I knew, and to provide for my family,” he says. “I had no choice in my mind.”
For him, survival wasn’t about ego. It was about contribution. “We get what we give,” he says. “Respect is reciprocated. Leading with contribution is the key element in how I position myself in any ecosystem.”
Building From the Ground Up
From 2017 to 2021, the real estate team Yarrow worked with closed millions of dollars in cannabis property transactions. Every deal carried unique challenges, zoning, power infrastructure, licensing status, compliance checks, and personalities from all sides of the table.
“There are a ton of cooks in the kitchen,” he says. “Lawyers, consultants, operators — it can get messy fast if it’s not properly managed.”
Among all the projects, one stands out in his mind. “A barn buildout that was so efficient two people could operate a very large grow with little to no extra labor except for harvest. That one was special.”
Efficiency wasn’t just about production. It was about peace of mind. As cannabis transitioned from medical to adult-use, operators like Yarrow had to learn how to keep projects discreet, compliant, and community-friendly all at once.
“Being a good neighbor was integral to being safe and sustainable,” he recalls. “If your neighbors didn’t like you, someone would call you in. Under adult use, it shifted — community outreach became a formal part of the permitting process.”
Navigating a New Era
For Yarrow, the shift from medical to recreational was more than a change in regulation, it was a change in mindset. The same hustle that built an underground industry now had to fit inside legal boxes and bureaucratic systems.
From 2022 to 2023 he focused primarily on cannabis retail; first as the Director of Real Estate for Canndev and then as the Director of Business Development at Zoned Properties.
These days his sphere of influence in California does business with the Travis Kelly Team which is led by a cannabis attorney and Realtor.
“Traditional real estate timelines never matched up with cannabis permits,” he says. “That mismatch created chaos, but also opportunity for people who knew how to navigate it.”
When asked what advice he’d give someone starting their first cannabis project today, Yarrow doesn’t hesitate. “Spend more time gathering information and amassing resources, plus extra. This industry is like building the airplane while you’re flying it, and a lot of planes have crashed.”
His perspective on investment is brutally honest: “Plan for the future market based on compression, maturation, and narrowed margins, not today’s numbers. And when you make improvements, look at them through the lens of universal value. Water and power upgrades never go out of style.”
Corporate vs. Independent Cannabis
Yarrow’s seen both sides of the coin, the heavily capitalized corporate ventures and the scrappy independent builds. He respects both, but knows the difference runs deep.
“Corporate cannabis builds everything at once to de-risk,” he explains. “Independent operators have to triage what’s most important, phase things out, and not expect future revenue to pay for future phases.”
He’s blunt about one common mistake: “People pay a ton for vacant space before they get a permit. Or they let their lease terms destroy their enterprise value. Too many think paying others to read the fine print makes them a boss. It doesn’t.”
At the end of the day, Yarrow believes success starts with understanding, not outsourcing. “I don’t do compliance myself,” he says, “but I make sure people understand their operations. Good consultants save time and money, but you can’t delegate common sense.”
The Long Game
When asked where he sees the greatest growth opportunities, Yarrow points to emerging adult-use markets and retail deserts in established states. But his eyes are also on the future of hospitality and cannabis consumption.
“Consumption lounges are 100% the next big wave,” he says confidently. “Retail and experience are merging. That’s where the real evolution happens.”
As for sustainability, he’s skeptical of buzzwords. “We’ve been brainwashed into thinking sun-grown equals sustainability,” he says, unfiltered as ever. “I’m more excited about vape tech and new delivery systems.”
Through all the ups and downs, one lesson sticks. “It’s a game of attrition,” he says. “You win by outlasting the problems.”
Legacy, Leadership, and Contribution
After everything, the childhood in Mendocino, the real estate grind, the arrests, the rebuild — Yarrow’s focus is clear. “Starting over and having faith,” he says. “That’s been my biggest challenge and my greatest teacher.”
His mentors, from real estate coaches to old-school suppliers, taught him lessons that stuck: stay grounded, stay real, and share what you learn. “I take my time with those less informed or younger, to provide hard-earned insight and perspective. To lead with contribution.”
When asked what legacy he wants to leave behind, his answer is simple: “That I told the truth.”
And in a cannabis world filled with hype, that alone makes him stand out.
Follow and connect with Yarrow on Instagram here.
