Sponsorship Opportunity: Second-Ever (First-Ever National) Statistical Report on Armed Robberies of State-Legal Cannabis Stores
In December 2022, StoptheDrugWar.org published the first study on characteristics of armed robberies of cannabis stores: "Dangerous Delays: What Washington (Re)Teaches Us About Cash and Cannabis Store Robberies." We are currently seeking sponsors for our second study on this topic, which will examine both robberies and burglaries, nationally and by state. (Visit https://stopthedrugwar.org/cannabis for more information on the first study and our work on cannabis policy.)
Dangerous Delays II will directly benefit advocacy for banking and cashless purchase options for the cannabis industry. But it will also provide a worker-safety case for limiting the artificially high costs imposed on the industry by federal, state and local policies. That includes, of course, the debilitating 280E tax – probably on the way out through rescheduling, but with rescheduling or 280E repeal potentially in Congress's crosshairs. It also includes issues like regulatory instability, high conventional tax rates, and late invoice payments, among others.
At a time when large and small reforms alike to US cannabis policy have taken a back seat in Congress, Dangerous Delays II will bridge the gap to the future by providing a discussion hook. Critically, it will do so in a way that addresses a common error – the conflation of armed robberies and burglaries – which has had the unfortunate effect of minimizing the perceived significance of cash prevalence in crimes directed against cannabis stores (see below). By putting some focus back on the impact cannabis prohibition has on workers, Dangerous Delays II will remind policymakers of the need to take available steps toward normalizing the industry.
To enable research to commence, we are offering a $1,000 sponsorship level (text listing) until at least 9/30/26. If a business later decides to increase its support by purchasing a logo sponsorship, the $1,000 can be applied, for as long as logo sponsorships are available.
The major sponsorships are $50,000 (one-only), $25,000 (up to two), $10,000 and $5,000:
- A $50,000 sponsor would be noted in the second paragraph of the report’s initial news release, which can include a one to two sentence description of the sponsor. We will only offer one $50,000 sponsorship.
- Our $25,000 sponsors will be noted by name at the end of the second paragraph of the news release. If there is no $50,000 sponsor, the paragraph will include one sentence descriptions of the $25,000 sponsors.
- All major sponsor logos will appear on the first interior page of the report (e.g., the flip side of the title page), and sponsor names will be listed at the end of the report.
- $1,000 sponsors will be listed in text on the first interior page of the report, and at the end.
We are seeking $50,000-$100,000 in total, at least $7,500 to be spent on media relations. We hope to release the report early during 2027, depending on when work starts. We see continued usefulness throughout 2027 and beyond – in efforts to fully normalize payment processing, not just deposit accounts, and to support other positive changes for cannabis.
Visit https://stopthedrugwar.org/cannabis to find the first Dangerous Delays report and other resources. To purchase a $1,000 sponsorship one before 6/1/26, visit https://stopthedrugwar.org/donate, click on either of two companies' donation links, and note in the comment field it's for a report sponsorship. If you would like info on wire transfer or other payment methods, contact David Borden at [email protected] or +1 202-236-8620. Check payments can be sent to P.O. Box 9853, Washington, DC 20016. (We also welcome donations – to make a tax-deductible gift, be sure to make it payable to DRCNet Foundation, our 501(c)(3).)
About the Studies
Looking at the surge of such robberies that affected Washington State from November 2021 through the following April, Dangerous Delays found that:
- There is a substantial set of robberies in which only cash was targeted.
- Product-only robberies were rare.
- Based on more limited data, most burglaries by contrast only targeted product. (A finding that may account for some observers' mistaken belief that robberies are product-driven.)
- Robberies which targeted the back of a store, which in the great majority of cases was done to target cash held in a safe, exhibited greater than average aggression levels than robberies focusing only on the front of a store.
- Weapons fire occurred for a wider set of reasons than other types of aggression, but in many cases took place in the context of cash-focused thefts.
Dangerous Delays II (working title) will probe the following questions:
- What are the total armed robbery numbers for licensed cannabis stores in the US, and in individual states?
- Is there a correlation between regions suffering the most robberies or burglaries, and regions where the industry's financial difficulties are the greatest?
- What are the total burglary numbers for licensed cannabis stores in the US – as a whole and in individual states?
- Do the patterns of what property was targeted and what aggressive behavior was found during the Washington State surge, hold in the US as a whole?
- How do these patterns vary from state to state? (Or, possibly, just from region to region, depending on what the available data can statistically support.)
Reach of First Report
The most significant reach of the first Dangerous Delays occurred behind the scenes. In early 2023, a well-known news correspondent for a major outlet contacted us to discuss the report, as background research for a report on the SAFER Banking Act. (We can provide more information about the contact on request.) We did not expect to be highlighted in the NBC piece, but it was clear from the conversation that the prominent journalists were glad to know there is quantitative backup for industry claims about cash and safety.
We did not have a media relations budget for the first report's release, and our direct news coverage was limited. However, the widely-read cannabis-focused publication Marijuana Moment did a substantial feature story, which they referred to in subsequent stories.
Post-Release Strategy
The $7,500 of sponsorship funds designated for media relations, which will target both mainstream and cannabis-focused news outlets, is critical. Arguably it is the most critical for the cannabis-focused outlets especially, as lack of clarity in the community regarding how this type of crime works, has contributed to conflicts within the legalization and equity movements over whether SAFE Banking efforts outside the context of broader reform should be supported. Forceful outreach with our expanded findings should make such conflicts less likely.
Dangerous Delays II will also produce the first national database of criminal victimizations of cannabis stores. It will do so through Google searches on a set of relevant search terms, following the results thoroughly through all pages. For consistency, our statistical analysis will only include incidents showing in these searches, and only licensed stores. However, the database will make note of other incidents that come to our attention, and will make our analysis of the individual incidents available to searchers.
The report will be helpful in protecting rescheduling and the ending of 280E, and for addressing other avoidable high costs currently imposed on the industry. It will do so by quantifying how armed robberies of cannabis stores occur disproportionately in western states, where the industry's financial health is at its weakest. Despite the clear appearance that this is the case, numbers are needed for the argument to gain traction.
The report will also provide a counterweight to a trend in this area of advocacy to view larger picture reforms as in tension with reforms that are smaller or supported by business interests. As the first Dangerous Delays report shows, the physical safety of cannabis workers of employers large and small is a justice issue, no less so for also being a business issue.
Contact David Borden at [email protected] or (202) 236-8620 to discuss sponsoring or for other information. Note that we are also seeking 501(c)(4) donations to allow us to do lobbying work highlighting this research to congressional offices.
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