Deep Dive: Armed Robberies in Cannabis Stores are a Growing Threat
Image: WenatcheeWorld.com
Legalized cannabis has brough about several benefits for our everyday life - safe products, ease of access, and transparency have all increased.
One element that has often been taken granted is safety. Shopping for recreational adult-use cannabis has become as mundane as ordering coffee or buying toothpaste. Until recently, when a string of horrifying armed robbery incidents have served as a stark reminder that this industry still needs a lot of support in its early growth phase.
What's Been Happening?
A string of armed robberies have hit many retail stores and delivery services throughout Washington. There are at least 10 publicized cases, and some in the industry estimate there have been closer to 30 incidents in recent weeks.
Some of these incidents have been associated with nearby carjackings, and in one case, gunshot wounds.
Needless to say, cannabis retail staffers are being traumatized by these events, which is the last thing they need after working within a global pandemic for two years in a highly regulated industry.
What's The Cause?
There could be a lot of causes to dig into, depending on who you ask, but cash is the elephant in the room.
With retailers doing five figures a day in sales, there is always a signficant amount of cash on premise at stores. This is an irresistable lure to bad actors, and the effects of this problematic honeypot are now playing out in horrifying fashion.
What's the Solution?
The solution is both painfully obvious and painfully difficult
Federal legalization or banking reform would allow cannabis businesses to operate like most every other modern retail business, and conduct their transactions digitally with a minimal amount of cash. This is another good reminder for anyone in the industry to call their Congresspeople and plead for passage of either the SAFE Banking Act, or more wide-sweeping federal legalization.
From a local standpoint, HB 2029 "Concerning the safety and security of retail cannabis outlets" was recently introduced to the state legislature. This legislation would employ a reporting structure for law enforcement, and equate cannabis robberies to pharmacy robberies, with their intensified legal consequences.
We hope we can soon reach a day where these incidents are a relic of a past age.
Read More:
Employee reportedly shoots suspects in armed robbery at cannabis store in Spanaway [KOMO]
First a carjacking then an armed robbery of Origins Cannabis in West Seattle [WESTSIDE SEATTLE]
Police searching for three men after armed robbery at East Wenatchee marijuana dispensary [THE WENATCHEE WORLD]
Vancouver dispensary robbed at gunpoint offers $5k reward [KOIN]
