Should budtenders be allowed to carry weapons?

With criminals hunted down for cash in the United States using brute force to rob cannabis dispensaries, budtenders are now reportedly cracking up to show them what’s what if they do any fun business.

An Oklahoma pharmacy worker recently shot an armed robber to death. These budtenders don’t mess around. They believe that if someone walks into their pharmacy and flashes a piece, “you have every right to shoot them”.

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Although there has been a lot of media coverage of armed robbery in Oklahoma and Oregon in recent weeks, the crime is a problem in every state where weed has become legal. It’s not that marijuana dispensaries attract this type of bad mojo. It’s just that they act in a way that makes them a tough target. While these companies are legitimate in the eyes of the state, they still operate mostly on a cash basis. These facilities could have unspeakable amounts of cash any day, making them an excellent mark for desperate criminals.

Some cannabis advocates argue that violence in cannabis dispensaries is the reason Congress should stand behind the SAFE Banking Act. This bill, already approved by the House of Representatives, would allow banks to do business with the cannabis industry without fear of federal money laundering fees. However, it’s not that most financial institutions are avoiding the cannabis market altogether. This is mostly a myth: “Coast to coast, MRBs (marijuana-related companies) do banking with reputable institutions. This is not a crisis “, according to a report from Forbes.

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Nevertheless, a lot of money regularly flows into pharmacies – which makes them a dangerous job. So should budget tenders be allowed to carry firearms to level the playing field? Many say yes, it is the worker’s right to defend himself. “It’s not a chance if, but when, it will happen,” said one of the owners of the pharmacy Highest Choice. Others don’t believe guns are the answer. “I don’t need to talk about the gun, especially since my friend died of a gun,” said Jina Yoo, owner of Cured Green. “Guns are the most hateful things.”

Photo by Heath Korvola / Getty Images

Most Americans probably wouldn’t argue that cannabis workers should have the right to protect themselves from dangerous criminals. However, with marijuana still illegal at the federal level, the use of personal protection in the form of firearms is really not an option. Budtenders in legal cannabis states who shoot armed robbers in self-defense can still be charged.

RELATED: The Battle Between Gun Possession and Medical Marijuana in Conservative States

That’s why the Oklahoma pharmacy employee has to worry. “This employee could be prosecuted by the US Attorney’s Office in Oklahoma.” reports the website Bearing Arms.

There is currently a bill in Congress called the GRAM Act that aims to change that.

The proposal would provide some protection to cannabis users defending themselves during a robbery. It would also protect gun owners who use marijuana in legal states. But until it’s over, which is very unlikely, any cannabis industry worker who shoots an armed thief could be jailed for manslaughter or murder. It hardly seems right, but this is just one of the many bizarre gray areas that exist between the state-legal cannabis markets and the federal government.

Of course, ending the ban on marijuana nationwide and including it in the legal trade, like alcohol and tobacco, would give cannabis workers more rights to defend themselves against armed robbers. For now, budtenders struggling to stay alive in the middle of a robbery will almost certainly feel the brunt of the heat once the gun smoke clears.