As congressional marijuana banking reform remains in flux, facing a recent setback on its path to passage in the lame duck session, a new report is highlighting one of the key reasons supporters say the legislation is necessary: the status quo leaves cash-intensive cannabis dispensaries uniquely vulnerable to crime.
Also, while some have suggested that the businesses see more crime because burglars are after the marijuana product itself, the report from David Borden of StoptheDrugWar.org shows that cash it the primary target, with limited cases of people stealing only cannabis from the storefronts.
The analysis looks at data on marijuana business robberies and burglaries in Washington State from 2017 to 2022, compiled by the Seattle-based dispensary Uncle Ike’s as part of a novel tracking system. It not only quantifies the extent of the industry’s crime problem, but it also provides statistical and inferential information about what was stolen and the motivations behind the crimes.
Marijuana markets saw a surge in burglaries and robberies, some of them violent or deadly, late last year. Nearly 100 Washington shops were impacted over a period of less than five months, the report shows. And that trend led to amplified calls from advocates and lawmakers
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