With all of the information coming out about the health benefits of CBD oil, it’s easy to forget that the substance comes from the same plant – cannabis sativa – as the recreational substance colloquially known as ‘marijuana.’ In fact, some of the biggest retailers of CBD oil are dispensaries that cater to a wide range of needs, including medical and recreational.

Cannabis dispensaries vary in size and the product lines that they offer, but on the whole, they are consistently stocked with tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of THC and CBD products at any one time. With California undergoing a significant spate of organized retail crime at the moment, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that dispensaries are one of the most frequently targeted businesses by these elements.

While CBD oils are sold in a wide variety of outlets, dispensaries represent a huge percentage of their sales. This means that the future of the CBD industry and the legal cannabis industry are, for the moment at least, interlinked.

As retail theft ramps up, the subject of security is gaining an increased level of interest from business owners fed up with lackluster state and local police response. Armed guards and mazes of security doors are becoming common fixtures in dispensaries up and down the California coastline.

Another sight becoming more common is ceilings filled with video monitoring equipment – cameras, motion detectors, and infrared flood lights. CCTV cameras are a superior means of securing a dispensary thanks to the greater visibility it grants over a patrolling guard and the ability to share that view through streaming and recording.

This is assuming the contractor on the other side of the screen is doing their job, of course. The key to an effective video monitoring system is selecting quality vendors with a conscientious staff and can guarantee the results of the equipment you’re paying for.

Unfortunately, there are many unscrupulous and poorly managed vendors that overwork or poorly train their security staff, leading to less-than-stellar performance and increased risk of losses. Finding the right vendor that will provide quality services can be time-consuming and difficult, which is why we recommend going with the security experts who have the experience necessary to understand what to look for.

For California cannabis and CBD businesses, the only game in town that is deeply familiar with the industry and its unique needs is Cannabis Compliant Security Solutions (CCSS). CCSS was founded by retired law enforcement officers who went deep undercover with the kind of organized criminal elements that are now terrorizing retailers state-wide, which means they know exactly what security solutions work and which ones don’t.

Cannabis and CBD retailers were able to breathe a sigh of relief after sales for recreational use was legalized, only to find themselves in the crosshairs of organized crime a few short years later. If you are interested in creating an airtight security system that is resistant to the rising tide of retail crime plaguing the state, get in contact with CCSS today.

Cannabis Compliant Security Solutions

+19259221067

Is it just me, or is it getting crazier out there?

This rather prescient quote from the 2020 film Joker underscored the rising chaos in society following the tumultuous year that saw a pandemic, mass protests, and a highly contentious political season. The echoes of that fateful year are still being felt two years on, as the crime rate in most of the country’s cities has continued rising unabatedly since the start of the lockdowns.

New viral videos are coming out near-daily showing criminal groups targeting retail outlets, delivery vehicles, and even individuals walking down city streets. As time wears on, the crimes have become more flagrant and, even more disturbingly, more violent. More robberies are ending in the victims getting harmed or killed, which is nowhere more apparent than in the cannabis industry.

Cannabis growers, logistics companies, and dispensaries are some of the industries hit the hardest by this most recent crime wave. The lack of an effective banking solution for firms operating in the space combined with the product’s high street value makes them a very high-value target for criminals of all stripes.

To attest to this, a simple Google search for ‘cannabis robbery’ on Google reveals page after page of news results. To highlight how dangerous the industry has become, we can point to the recent robbery targeting a marijuana-growing operation in San Leandro, California, located a few miles south of Oakland in the bay area.

The criminals entered the premises early in the morning at roughly 4 AM and approached the facility heavily armed despite the presence of an armed guard and site manager. After a brief confrontation, a shootout occurred in which the site manager, security guard, and one of the would-be robbers were shot. As the police arrived on the scene, the rest of the crew took flight and eventually escaped during the chase.

Dozens of major indoor marijuana cultivators have popped up in or around the bay area in the years since the state decriminalized the crop in 2016, and each one represents a juicy target for a newly emboldened criminal element. With police response to the industry’s cries for help being lackluster at best, marijuana grower security needs are going to need to be met by the operator themselves..

This isn’t as simple as it sounds, however – security systems and plans need to meet a whole host of requirements, regulations, and rules in order to be legal and safely insured. Missing even a small detail in your insurance policy can lead to your insurer leaving you on the hook for hundreds of thousands of dollars, while missing an ADA-compliant door can lead to thousands more being lost to fines.

This is why it’s heavily recommended to consult security experts when designing your security plan and system. Contractors like Cannabis Compliant Security Solutions can provide solutions tailored to your business’s location, operations, and insurance policy, so you get a well-functioning system that will be fully protected in the event that your business becomes the target of criminal activity.

With the police unwilling to pursue property crime and cities seemingly determined to enable criminality, things are only going to continue getting crazier. If you feel you have invested too much of your blood, sweat, and tears into a business just to see it getting taken down by criminals, get in contact with the experts at CCSS.

Cannabis Compliant Security Solutions

1 925 922 1067

2269 Chestnut Street, #856, San Francisco, CA 94123