Data reveal a concerning increase in violent crime in many U.S. cities during COVID in 2020 and 2021. Increasingly, cannabis businesses, particularly dispensaries, are targets for robbery or other criminal activity.
The reason that cannabis businesses are being hit particularly hard is not hard to fathom. Federal law still treats cannabis as a Schedule I narcotic, which means businesses have limited access to banking. Much of the industry still runs on cash, making it a target for theft of cash as well as product.
Cannabis business owners should be concerned with legally protecting their businesses under these circumstances. This includes both steps to prevent or mitigate the risks of criminal acts as well as protections in the event that a crime does occur.
In addition to the direct risks that come to a business from crime, such as loss of cash and inventory, criminal activity can drive away customers, as well as potentially subject business owners to liability. The law in every state allows property owners to be held liable if their negligence causes damages to people on the premises.
In most states, business owners owe an affirmative duty to customers to inspect the premises for dangerous conditions and to
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