Cannabis News of Note for the Week:
American Bankers Association: ABA Unveils New Consumer Polling Data on Major Banking Policy Issues
The Hill: Biden order adds momentum to bipartisan marijuana bill
CNN Business: Circle K gas stations are adding a new product for convenient pickup – weed
Benzinga: Consumers Are Demanding More From Cannabis Companies — Here’s What Some Are Looking For
Politico Pro Cannabis: Burglaries Target Colorado Cannabis Businesses (paywalled, full text included below)
Cannabis Reports of Note for the Week:
New Frontier Data: Cannabis Consumers in America, Part Three: Identifying Key Archetypes
BURGLARIES TARGET COLORADO CANNABIS BUSINESSES — The cannabis industry should be aware of a recent spike in burglaries targeting dispensaries in Colorado, the state’s marijuana regulator said in an industry bulletin this week . Since September 1, authorities have received 33 reports of attempted or successful burglaries.
All of those reports except for one involved marijuana retailers, regulators said. Historically, dispensaries have been a favored target of criminals too. Out of all crimes reported to the Marijuana Enforcement Division through the end of 2021, about 64 percent of them targeted retailers.
What businesses can do: Dispensaries that had security standards above the minimum required were often able to dissuade burglars. Such security measures include door guard plates, locks on refrigerators or freezers, and securing marijuana products and cash in vaults or safes during non-business hours.
“Licensees are strongly encouraged to exceed minimum requirements for all applicable security and storage rules,” regulators said.
Burglars most commonly tried to gain access to the business by using a crowbar to get into the front door or window. The second most common method of entry was to use a vehicle to ram doors or breach security fences.
More context: A spate of dispensary robberies on the West Coast earlier this year prompted increased calls for Congress to pass the SAFE Banking Act to provide greater access to financial services for marijuana businesses. In Washington state alone, the first two months of the year brought more armed robberies of cannabis dispensaries than 2020 and 2021 combined. But the increased attention on marijuana business safety has not yet brought the banking bill any closer to passing.