At the time that this article is being written, medicinal use of marijuana is now legalized in 25 of America’s 50 states and Washington, DC, with recreational use also legal in Washington state and Colorado. With every vote on the subject, the legalization of marijuana in one form or another continues to expand to more and more states across the country. And as the mainstream acceptance of marijuana continues to grow, so too are the opportunities for people looking to tap into this new and lucrative botanical & medical market. The chemical components of marijuana, known as cannabinoids, are now used in a variety of different medications and therapies, ranging in form from edible treats to topical creams and ointments. But unfortunately, neither marijuana producers or retailers are immune to the risks involved in operating commercial businesses of any kind. Just like any high-end retailer or manufacturer, marijuana businesses are prime targets for trespassing, theft, and vandalism. However, given its specialized nature and unique operational requirements, there are even more prospective liabilities involved in the day-to-day operations of running a marijuana business.
Still commercially illegal in most states, there is already a well established criminal black market for marijuana that has thrived for decades outside of government regulation. Not only does this dual saturation negatively affect the potential profitability of legal marijuana businesses, but it also means that legal nurseries and retailers could be prime targets for theft from people working for illegal marijuana trafficking operations. In the interest of counteracting these crimes, federal and state governments have established strict guidelines for all legal marijuana growing facilities as well as retail and medical dispensaries. Further complicating matters, in states where marijuana production and distribution are legal, many of the legal stipulations vary wildly from county to county. Occasionally, failure to comply with or fully understand these rules often leads to avoidable police intervention if the proper legal requirements are not met. While the majority of details vary from state to state, a universal rule among these strict and extensive legal requirements needed for operating a legal marijuana growing business, medical or otherwise, is a fully functional security system with 24/7 CCTV camera access and recording in any location where marijuana is present, at minimum.
The day-to-day security needs of a marijuana dispensary could be compared to those of a high-end jewelry store filled with expensive products and well-stocked cash registers. Aside from the peculiar nature of the products being manufactured and distributed, another interesting and relatively unique aspect of the marijuana business is that at present, federal law prohibits marijuana businesses from depositing their money into bank accounts. This means that many of these dispensaries and farms have an unusual amount of physical cash on hand, adding yet another another layer of enticement for would-be thieves. Like many other types of retail operations, regular instances of employee theft also present an issue of particular note for marijuana businesses. It is incredibly easy for someone to pocket a small product like marijuana and simply walk out with it. Even a small, concealable amount of marijuana may be worth enough on the street or black market for a desperate or unscrupulous employee to risk stealing for themselves.
The majority of legal marijuana growing facilities in the United States range in size from 10,000 to 25,000 square feet. That’s quite a bit of space to be responsible for and with all of the other time-consuming tasks required to run a successful business, constant monitoring just isn’t possible for most business owners. That’s where we come in! At Digital Security Guard, our professionals will remotely monitor your business for you and provide 24/7 video surveillance to keep your assets safe! If anything does occur, then we will immediately alert the proper authorities in the fastest response time possible. If a does occur and the perpetrator manages to somehow escape before the authorities can arrive, we can pinpoint relevant footage that can be used to obtain a conviction in court. By conservative estimates, the total profits from both medicinal and legal recreational marijuana purchases are expected to exceed the $8 billion mark by the year 2018 and it doesn’t look like they’ll be doing anything but increasing in the future. If you already own your own marijuana business or are looking to tap into this lucrative market, then you need the reliable security solutions from Digital Security Guard! Contact us today!
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