Violence at Los Angeles dispensaries requires proper response from law enforcement

Our Los Angeles marijuana dispensary lawyers are concerned anytime we hear of violence at a local dispensary or collective. The Los Angeles Times reports that three men shot two others during a robbery at a Northridge marijuana dispensary on Wednesday.

There is no question these businesses are frequent targets for robbery. Not only are they cash businesses — like convenience stores — but they sell marijuana many street dealers would like to have for their own use and profit. Legitimizing medical marijuana and taking the profits out of the hands of dealers is precisely the point. Yet we are always concerned when law enforcement insinuates these legal businesses are somehow to blame for being victimized by crime.

As we reported last fall on our Marijuana Lawyer Blog, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office blamed the dispensaries after a series of crimes that included a triple murder at a dispensary in West Hollywood. So great is the disconnect that it hardly caused a blip on the radar of the news media.

Can you imagine if he had come out blaming convenience store owners for holdups? If gangs and criminal get the idea that robbing dispensaries and/or assaulting staff will be treated with a shrug by law enforcement, it could be open season on Southern California’s legally operating medical marijuana businesses.

Shortly before 9:30 pm. Wednesday the three men entered the shop in the 8200 block of White Oak Avenue. The suspects reportedly shot multiple rounds inside the establishment, wounding two men before fleeing in a gold SUV, according to the Los Angeles police department.

One victim was in critical condition at Northridge Hospital Medical Center with gunshot wounds to the head, arms and legs. The other was in stable condition with injuries to the back and legs.

The CANNABIS LAW GROUP is representing more than a dozen dispensaries in lawsuits over local city and county ordinances in Los Angeles and the surrounding area. Call 949-375-4734 for a confidential consultation to discuss your rights.