With the sale of recreational marijuana legal in the Denver area, those who run local pot stores are worried about burglaries and robberies. According to stats from Denver’s Department of Safety, this year is on pace to be the lowest, in terms of burglaries and robberies in three years. However, this does not change the fact that those who own and work at these establishments are concerned.
There are more than 700 cultivation facilities and licensed stores in the city, with 53 burglaries targeting these establishments through the first five months of the year.
It is good that there is a dip in burglaries, but police and industry workers continue to worry about this, due to the fact that large amounts of cash are often times kept on hand.
The executive director of the Marijuana Industry Group said, “This situation could be a lot worse. But it’s still a lot of burglaries, whether it’s more or less than it was last year.”
There are two sides to this story. On one side, it is nice to see a decrease in the number of burglaries so far this year. On the other side of things, any burglary is a big deal, even if it is only one incident.
People decide to rob a store like this for a number of reasons. While some are successful, others are caught by police and faced with the legal system. In this event, the defendants have the chance to speak their side of the story and make better decisions that will ensure a brighter future.
Source: The Denver Post, “Burglaries at Denver marijuana shops slow, but industry still worried” John Ingold, Jun. 16, 2014
