Armed Robberies At WA Cannabis Shops Hit Decade High
Crimes have also become increasingly violent
A decade into Washington’s legalization of marijuana, the cash-only industry has skyrocketed, leading licensed businesses to grapple with vast stores of cash on-site that render them soft targets for violent crime.
Cannabis retail stores in Washington reported at least 100 armed robberies in 2022 — the most in the past 10 years, according to a tracker run by Uncle Ike’s, a member of Washington’s Craft Cannabis Coalition of over 70 small businesses.
Robberies at retail marijuana stores are not formally tracked statewide by the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board. However, Uncle Ike’s has kept an informal tally self-reported by businesses and other reports since 2017.
After the state changed the tax structure on cannabis goods in 2017, setting it at 37% to be collected at retail, incidents of armed robberies at pot stores have steadily grown, the tracker shows.
Crimes have become increasingly violent, with the first robbery killing of a retail employee recorded this year at a Tacoma cannabis store in March.
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