By Hadley Tomicki
Source: https://www.lataco.com/cannabis-dispensary-crime/
Robberies of L.A. cannabis dispensaries have hit an all-time high. And we’re not just talking about sheriff’s department deputies hitting money transport vans or Fed-enforced tax collector raids this time.
Tapping an LAPD data set, Crosstown notes a rising trend in criminal acts reported by our legal cannabis retailers, including burglaries, stickups, and armed assaults. Noting 10 reported crimes in January and 14 in February, compared to an average that rarely went above four monthly crimes in past years, 2022 and the tail end of 2021 have already seen more reported crimes per month than in any other year since 2018, when sinsemilla sales became legal in L.A.
It appears the confluence of swimming pools full of cash and rainbows of cannabis-stuffed jars make an enticing aim for criminals who appreciate these things. Dispensaries are dealing with multiple incidents in some cases, such as California Cannabis Melrose Dispensary’s being both the target of a thwarted January 11 burglary attempt and a month later the victim of a stickup when four faux customers walked in and held a staffer at gunpoint as the shelves and cash register was emptied.
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