A Denver 9News report on June 4 stated that, the “Denver
Police Department show a 69% increase in overall crime at medical marijuana
dispensaries, most notably a 75% increase in burglaries compared to this time
last year. That spike in crime could be explained by an increase in the number
of places that sell medical marijuana.”
What 9News didn’t discuss was the serious gap in protection
that is being denied the legal matrix of the marijuana business which has
become a target for gangs and organized crime. Because of its value on the
black market marijuana can easily be sold for large profits and nearly
impossible to be retraced to its rightful and ‘legal’ owner. Even if found, marijuana
is a product that won’t be returned to its rightful owner.
The recent surge in crimes committed against marijuana dispensaries
has occurred all over Denver. Several involved murder; many have left the community
in fear. Like any store or bank dispensaries are targets. “The numbers of
places licensed to sell marijuana products has reached 400 in Denver and
include more than the 375 Starbucks coffee shops statewide, according to the
Post.” But unlike stores or banks, marijuana dispensaries cannot request any
police involvement in guarding their stock.
These recent crimes aren’t just limited to the dispensaries
themselves. 9NEWS partners at the Denver Post report 1 in 41 people in Denver
are registered medical marijuana patients. Also left vulnerable are the
growers. On the night of Saturday, May 26, just before 2 a.m., Richard Nack was
shot and killed at his home where he grew medical marijuana.
Like fugitive recovery or private investigations, the use of
civilian security companies can fill a gap where the police departments cannot
go. On a business level there are certainly money gains to be made. But in the
big picture, civil securities can provide much more in this legal quagmire—a return
to safety in our communities where the local police are forced to ignore. In essence,
we may be the only protection marijuana dispensaries and the local communities
that surround them can ask for.
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