420 with CNW — As Security Concerns Escalate, B.C. Alters Law on Cannabis Shop Window Coverings
Last Friday night, all across Vancouver, British Columbia, cannabis retail shops were taking the coverings off of their windows. This was after the government altered the law in response to a spike in cannabis store robberies in the province. The move is meant to protect both customers and sellers.
Until recently, the opaque film window coverings were a condition of cannabis retail shop provincial licensing, ensuring that none of the goods were visible from the outside; the approach was an attempt to keep minors away from cannabis products. While some stores have roomy interiors or stylish furnishings that deftly cover the material, those can be pricey solutions; hence, the majority of stores choose to use frosted windows.
The window covering option has creates risks for personnel and customers who are inside because visibility and situational awareness are greatly reduced; the installation of surveillance cameras by many stores hasn’t helped. This caused marijuana sellers to convey their safety worries to the government.
“I know that legalizing marijuana is a big issue, but our safety and the safety of our customers shouldn’t be in jeopardy,” stated Up in Smoke’s Matthew Greenwood.
Security footage from Kingsway Cannabis showed an attempted armed robbery in March. The 20-second video, which depicts a man breaking into the store just after 8 p.m., was shared on Twitter by the proprietor of Kingsway Cannabis. Although nobody was hurt and the would-be thief fled empty-handed, the video brought to light a safety issue because the opaque windows cut off personnel from passersby who might have called for aid.
In the same month, the staff of Nanaimo’s Mood Marijuana was horrified twice in a row when a man stole valuable merchandise on consecutive evenings. The business took its window covers down after the second incident.
The Marijuana Council of Canada has been begging for a revision of the visibility rule on the grounds that the storefronts appear uninviting to customers as well as secluded and vulnerable to theft, creating dangerous working conditions for staff. The group is glad that the safety issues raised by its members, as well as the negative perception the window screens gave to business owners, were taken into account. The council maintained that cannabis goods are no different from those offered in alcohol shops.
Although merchants are still unsure about a few aspects of the altered law, which still forbids window displays of cannabis items, the majority are optimistic that specifics can be worked out with inspectors.
With security concerns rising in most jurisdictions where marijuana sales are legal, many companies such as Advanced Container Technologies Inc. (OTC: ACTX) will be following how the authorities respond to contain the threats these businesses face. This is because what happens to marijuana companies can have a domino-effect on other industries that are interlinked with the marijuana space.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Advanced Container Technologies Inc. (OTC: ACTX) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://cnw.fm/ACTX
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the CannabisNewsWire website applicable to all content provided by CNW420, wherever published or re-published: http://CNW.fm/Disclaimer
Last Friday night, all across Vancouver, British Columbia, cannabis retail shops were taking the coverings off of their windows. This was after the government altered the law in response to a spike in cannabis store robberies in the province. The move is meant to protect both customers and sellers.
Until recently, the opaque film window coverings were a condition of cannabis retail shop provincial licensing, ensuring that none of the goods were visible from the outside; the approach was an attempt to keep minors away from cannabis products. While some stores have roomy interiors or stylish furnishings that deftly cover the material, those can be pricey solutions; hence, the majority of stores choose to use frosted windows.
The window covering option has creates risks for personnel and customers who are inside because visibility and situational awareness are greatly reduced; the installation of surveillance cameras by many stores hasn’t helped. This caused marijuana sellers to convey their safety worries to the government.
“I know that legalizing marijuana is a big issue, but our safety and the safety of our customers shouldn’t be in jeopardy,” stated Up in Smoke’s Matthew Greenwood.
Security footage from Kingsway Cannabis showed an attempted armed robbery in March. The 20-second video, which depicts a man breaking into the store just after 8 p.m., was shared on Twitter by the proprietor of Kingsway Cannabis. Although nobody was hurt and the would-be thief fled empty-handed, the video brought to light a safety issue because the opaque windows cut off personnel from passersby who might have called for aid.
In the same month, the staff of Nanaimo’s Mood Marijuana was horrified twice in a row when a man stole valuable merchandise on consecutive evenings. The business took its window covers down after the second incident.
The Marijuana Council of Canada has been begging for a revision of the visibility rule on the grounds that the storefronts appear uninviting to customers as well as secluded and vulnerable to theft, creating dangerous working conditions for staff. The group is glad that the safety issues raised by its members, as well as the negative perception the window screens gave to business owners, were taken into account. The council maintained that cannabis goods are no different from those offered in alcohol shops.
Although merchants are still unsure about a few aspects of the altered law, which still forbids window displays of cannabis items, the majority are optimistic that specifics can be worked out with inspectors.
With security concerns rising in most jurisdictions where marijuana sales are legal, many companies such as Advanced Container Technologies Inc. (OTC: ACTX) will be following how the authorities respond to contain the threats these businesses face. This is because what happens to marijuana companies can have a domino-effect on other industries that are interlinked with the marijuana space.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Advanced Container Technologies Inc. (OTC: ACTX) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://cnw.fm/ACTX
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the CannabisNewsWire website applicable to all content provided by CNW420, wherever published or re-published: http://CNW.fm/Disclaimer
