Why Washington shop owners say legalizing pot nationally will make business safer locally

by Keith Eldridge | KOMO News

It was a series of frightening moments for a pot shop owner as he and his family were tied up during a home invasion robbery.

They were shaken, but unharmed as the robbers left.

The shop owner says this experience is exactly why he’s encouraged that Congress is moving forward with legalizing marijuana. He says it will make the business safer.

“To me, I see it as a safety issue, yes,” said Doug West, the owner of Mr. Bill’s of Buckley.

He says that he was forced at gunpoint by two masked men into his home where he and his wife and son were tied up and robbed last week.

“What goes through my mind is I’m thankful my family was unhurt and is safe,” he said.

They managed to free themselves after the robbers left. The sheriff’s department won’t say how much money was taken.
“It’s kind of a misconception,” he said. “There really isn’t a lot of cash on hand.”

The thing that makes places like his shop so vulnerable is that the federal government won’t allow them to deal in credit cards.

They have to deal only in cash.

But that could change if Congress legalizes marijuana, allowing the shops to use the banking system.

A key U.S. House committee approved that legalization bill on Wednesday in a bi-partisan vote.

“The only real barrier we have is the ability to take payment with plastic,” West said.

Because of home and store robberies that have been seen around Washington, the cannabis industry has long been pushing for passage of the legalization bill and another bill that would allow banks to be legally involved.

“It’ll also change tax laws and give us a more safer environment to work in,” West said.

Washington state has been one of the leaders in first legalizing marijuana for medicinal use and then for recreational use. The cannabis industry now is eager to see the shops be safer environments.”

Rep. Pramilla Jayapal (D) of Washington’s 7th District sits on the Judiciary Committee that passed the bill. On Wednesday, she said: “We need the MORE Act because despite our overwhelming success, licensed cannabis retailers do not have access to the banking industry, and are thus unable to accept credit cards, deposit revenue into a bank account or write checks. It creates a burden particularly for small businesses, and it means that legitimate licensed businesses are essentially acting as cash-only businesses.”