The meteoric rise of the legal cannabis industry in California and beyond presents many opportunities for early adapters and enterprising entrepreneurs to generate generational wealth. With great opportunity has come great risk, however: thanks to the crop’s dubious legality on the federal level, the industry is facing an unusual level of chaos.
This murky legal status has turned off traditional funding sources from financial institutions, made it difficult to find fair insurance premiums, and subjected operators in the space to an inundation of organized and opportunistic criminality. With state resources stretched as-is, many find it difficult to keep their doors open with the consistent low-level financial blows to their businesses.
This is where the importance of creating an airtight security plan and system comes into play. While some cannabis businesses might feel tempted to skim over security expenses given the hefty up-front costs of entering the market, the long-term cost of these cuts can be disastrous.
At the most basic level, California mandates that every cannabis business drafts a comprehensive security plan. That means if you don’t have a security plan, your business will not pass inspection and you’ll likely be fined or forced to close your doors.
This plan has to include the vendors that provide CCTV cameras, alarm systems, security doors, locks, and guard services, as well as detailed procedures that employees will need to follow during emergency situations. Just like most other state-mandated activities, most businesses will be likely to do the bare minimum to pass the certification requirements, but a well-drafted security plan can be the difference between your business surviving being targeted by the criminal element.
Cannabis businesses are magnets for criminal activities, with thefts, break-ins, and even violent crimes like assault and battery being disturbingly common. Cannabis products maintain a high street value even after legalization, combined with the fact that a lack of banking services causes most businesses to deal primarily in cash make dispensaries and growth facilities prime targets.
Thanks to its legal status and rampant criminal targeting, the cannabis industry already faces an inordinate amount of scrutiny from insurance underwriters. Insurance policies for cannabis businesses involve a ridiculous number of stipulations, including which vendor products are acceptable. The slightest deviation from these stipulations can cause a claim to be rejected outright.
A robust and meticulous security plan has to not only account for local and state laws and regulations, it also must account for the provisions included in the insurance policy. This makes drafting a security plan a daunting task that is best left to experts – experts like California security firm Cannabis Compliant Security Solutions.
CCSS takes a holistic view of security when drafting their plans – the experts that make up the company account for everything from physically securing the business premises to local regulations to the smallest and most easily overlooked provisions in the insurance policy. Their drafted plans will ensure that your business will have a first, second, and third line of defense and can continue running even if it’s targeted by organized crime.
The call for increased security in the cannabis sector isn’t just a dereliction of duty from local authorities-it’s a strategic necessity considering the legal environment we live in. By investing in an air-tight security plan, cannabis businesses can ensure they’re fully compliant with regulations and poised to take advantage of the enormous potential present in the market even with the chaos roiling around them. If your business needs a security plan to conform to local regulations and secure the premesis, don’t wait – get in contact with CCSS today.
Cannabis Compliant Security Solutions
(925) 922-1067
