My store was robbed on Tuesday. We’re still recovering from the trauma

On Tuesday March 15th, 2022 the cannabis dispensary where I work was robbed again.

This time it happened just before 5:30 p.m. The sun was shining. The ground was a bit wet from a recent rain – a typical spring day in the Pacific Northwest.

Then two masked men wearing gloves and hoods entered through the front door. “Everyone on the ground!” They shouted. “This is a hold-up.”

Everyone – employees and customers – fell to the ground in fear.

The cannabis industry’s “banking problem” is now an armed robbery problem.

I was supposed to work that day but had to take a private day to take care of a family matter. I only escaped the trauma of the robbery through stupid luck. But I see and understand the terror my colleagues have been going through – the whole incident was captured on video at the store – and I see their ongoing struggle to come to terms with both past trauma and fear of repeating it. Maybe that’s why I’m forced to write about it.

From the video and the memory of my colleagues, it seems that’s how it happened. And keeps happening.

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A store invasion with deadly weapons

Shortly after ordering everyone down, one of the attackers fired a shot into the ceiling, cementing his reign of terror had begun.

A perpetrator grabbed our store manager, put a gun to his head and asked him to empty the tills into a garbage bag. After the money was secured and handed over – with the gun still held near his head – the manager was forced to the ground.

With cash in hand, the two gunmen ran to the front door and exited the building.

Our shop has panic buttons installed, just like banks. If you can’t use a bank, become a bank.

Witnesses recalled a getaway car pulling up just outside the store’s parking lot and waiting.

Inside, staff and customers slowly rose from the floor. One of my colleagues had pressed one of the store’s panic buttons during the attack, which alerted the local police to the situation.

One of our clients attempted to track the gunmen to gather descriptive information about their vehicle. Four squad cars arrived within minutes of the escape to secure the crime scene. At 5:38 a.m. the rolled up security gates were down and the store closed for the day.

The shopkeeper arrived shortly after the police. They spoke to the police when our staff went home. The three suspects remained at large. A little over five hours later, they stormed into another cannabis store about six blocks away and committed another robbery.

Our second armed robbery this year

This was the second armed attack on my business in just over a month. Same store, same staff, same trauma.

On March 16, the morning after my store was attacked, two gunmen – we are not sure if they were the same team – robbed a cannabis store in Bellevue, about 40 km from my store. After a lengthy police chase, in which a tire literally fell off the getaway vehicle and the suspects fled on foot, this attack ended with two of the men in custody and a third man dead after a shootout with police in a Seattle neighborhood was.

This video shows two suspects entering the marijuana dispensary on Wednesday and holding employees at gunpoint. They are accused of stealing money and products. Two suspects are in custody and a third was killed in a shootout with Seattle police. pic.twitter.com/oMw7bp1QH7

— Bellevue Police, WA (@BvuePD) March 17, 2022

70 armed robberies in two months

In the past two months, employees and customers have been robbed at gunpoint at more than 70 licensed cannabis stores in Washington state. The numbers keep spinning up. Three armed robberies occurred in a single day on March 10th and again last Tuesday, March 15th.

Few state and law officials seem to care about this threat to our lives and livelihoods (and their tax revenues), so Ian Eisenberg, owner of Uncle Ike’s businesses, now keeps a public chart tracking the crime frenzy. So many robberies are happening right now that he has to update them daily.

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‘Cash only’ means cash on hand

What’s behind the crime? Cash.

The federal ban continues to prevent most banks from offering services to state-licensed, tax-paying cannabis companies. Visa, MasterCard and American Express are refusing to use their cards in cannabis stores. The result: With the exception of a few shops that offer ATMs at the checkout, every customer pays in cash. And even these ATM workarounds are problematic; Visa is now trying to force stores to stop this practice.

The inability to accept credit cards leaves my colleagues on the floor while masked gunmen rob the cash register.

Next time you hear about the cannabis industry’s “banking troubles,” know that this isn’t just an accounting problem. The inability to accept credit cards leaves my colleagues on the floor while masked gunmen take advantage of these cash-intensive deals.

Adding fuel to the fire is the current mindless attitude of local police, government agencies and political leaders, who refuse to engage at any meaningful level to change policy to better protect the lives of our customers and employees.

State to Stores: Learn to be a good victim

State officials are aware of the problem. In late January, the state Liquor and Cannabis Board sent out an advisory bulletin to licensed businesses with “safety suggestions retailers may consider to protect themselves and their employees.”

These suggestions included:

● Employment of armed security forces

● Make regular cash deposits and use safes to minimize in-store cash

● Post signs warning would-be thieves that they are being watched on video

● Install “man trap” double door systems

● Train employees to be good witnesses

Yes, they actually advised us to train ourselves to be better witnesses. In other words, learn to be a good victim.

State to Stores: Thanks for the $560 million last year

In Washington, the state loves to collect huge amounts of cannabis tax revenue while treating cannabis dispensaries as criminal enterprises. Licensed cannabis companies are subject to incredibly strict and onerous regulations. A mistake can result in large fines and other penalties, including license suspension and permanent closure.

Washington’s licensed cannabis industry sends over half a billion dollars directly to the state each year – and yet the state seems unwilling to participate or help protect our industry.

On March 17, after months of armed pharmacy robberies had passed with little action, Washington State Treasurer Mike Pellicciotti finally stepped up his office’s lobbying efforts to get the SAFE Banking Act through Congress. If passed, this law would allow state-regulated banks to open accounts and accept money from state-legal cannabis companies. The bill would finally allow us to accept credit cards just like any other store.

While the SAFE Banking Act would help, the bill has been in Congress for years. Advocates have long warned that forcing licensed cannabis companies to operate as cash-only businesses endangers public safety. Those dire predictions have now come true. Real damage happens.

Other states are also affected by armed takeovers

Washington is not the only state hit hard by this crime spree. In a New York Times article published just hours before my store was robbed, a reporter noted that cannabis stores in Oakland, California now employ security guards outfitted like military commandos. “It’s crazy to think that we need all this war material to protect our business,” a shopkeeper told the Times. “But that’s where we are today.”

With so many unsolved robberies, I wonder: what are our local leaders doing to protect us? Why are so many cannabis stores falling through the disaster preparedness grid?

In the state of Washington, every dollar spent on cannabis products is subject to a 37% excise tax in addition to a 10% sales tax. Almost half the money from every purchase goes directly to the state. In fiscal 2021 alone, the Washington State Department of Revenue collected $559.5 million in cannabis tax revenue and royalties.

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Regulated, taxed but not protected

More than 100 armed robberies have been reported since November 2021. Some stores, like mine, have been harassed more than once. Retailers, producers and processors are left to their own devices. We are left to hire our own security forces, track our own crime data, and offer our own rewards for information leading to the capture of these criminals.

Where’s the outrage? Where’s the quick action to defend our state-licensed, tax-paying, law-abiding industry? When and where will the next ball land?

Cannabis stores and the cash-only problem

Amara Barnes

Amara Barnes has been working as a budtender in the cannabis industry for over two years. She has a Fine Arts degree from the University of Southern California and believes in the power of cannabis to heal and connect people.

Check out Amara Barnes’ articles

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