Crime Wave Hits Pot Retailers
By John Persinos
Marijuana is getting linked to worsening crime, but this illegality is not of the "Reefer Madness" variety, whereby stoned youngsters embark on crazed killing and robbing sprees. That's a debunked caricature.
Instead, the victims of this crime wave are the actual purveyors of marijuana.
Amid a surge in criminal attacks against pot dispensaries throughout the U.S., a leading marijuana advocacy group is providing the industry with safety and legal guidelines on how to prevent and respond to the onslaught.
Americans for Safe Access (ASA) developed its Robbery Preparedness Guide in response to a flurry in recent months of burglaries and armed robberies against marijuana dispensaries. Reports are flooding local, state and federal law enforcement agencies about break-ins and hold-ups at pot retail establishments.
ASA stated: "We know this is an issue nationwide, and we want to do our part to help ensure that all dispensaries remain secure, their staff and patients feel safe, and that products continue to be available.
"No one wants to think about robberies and burglaries, but they are a reality for all businesses, particularly retail operators. Even if your staff or fellow employees are not talking about robberies, they are thinking about them. Most robberies are premeditated and depend on an element of surprise and confrontation. This means that robbers are looking for weaknesses in a business' security that would make the operation a tempting target."
The marijuana crime wave is bolstering the arguments of lawmakers in Congress who say banking reform is a must for the cannabis industry. Because marijuana remains illegal on the federal level, many bankers are wary of lending money to canna-businesses. That means many marijuana companies, especially retailers, must conduct business on a cash basis, which makes them vulnerable to criminals.
Cannabis entrepreneurs report feeling unsafe in the daily performance of their business duties, because they're often compelled to transport large bags of cash from retail outlets to their respective banking institutions. They've become sitting ducks.
According to recent data from cannabis holding company SIVA Enterprises, one in every two cannabis dispensaries is robbed or burglarized, which is a shocking statistic. The following infographic depicts the monetary extent of the problem:
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