Reader: The Government’s to Blame for a Lot of Pot Shop Robberies

Our post about this past weekend's broad-daylight armed robbery of RiNo Supply Company, a medical marijuana dispensary, raised questions about safety at such businesses. As we noted, hold-ups at pot shops are relatively rare in part because of the many surveillance cameras required by state law. But one reader believes dispensaries...
By Michael RobertsSeptember 23, 2015
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Our post about this past weekend’s broad-daylight armed robbery of RiNo Supply Company, a medical marijuana dispensary, raised questions about safety at such businesses.

As we noted, hold-ups at pot shops are relatively rare in part because of the many surveillance cameras required by state law.

But one reader believes dispensaries will continue to be a lure for thieves anyway due to the federal banking regulations that continue to cause headaches for ganjapreneurs.

Do these rules lead to more crime? This post argues that they do.

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Paul N Joni Campos writes:

Any type of business can be robbed! But the government could help prevent this, by allowing these shops to use Debit/Credit Cards. So there’s not so much cash on hand!

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword‘s news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor’s degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master’s degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

michaelrobertscolo@gmail.com

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