Without a national program, cannabis business applications vary widely. While states like Illinois and Missouri license cannabis businesses through a state-wide program, states like California and New Jersey are allowing municipalities to run their own licensing processes. In addition to differences in state and municipal programs, there is no standard application format. This means almost every application is unique with distinctive requirements, formats, and challenges.

As legalization has become more common, many studies have been conducted to examine the effect of cannabis legalization on crime. Though some studies have revealed a reduction in crime rates in areas with cannabis dispensaries, others have shown an increase or no change at all.

Last week, people from every corner of the U.S. cannabis industry converged in Las Vegas to network, build their brands, and attend MJBizCon – the largest event in the industry. After a year of hiatus prompted by the Covid-19 pandemic, MJBizCon was back celebrating its 10th anniversary with over 1,300 exhibitors and 250,000 square feet of expo halls. This year’s show was bigger than ever and attracted about 35,000 attendees compared to 33,000 attendees at their last in-person conference in 2019. MJBizCon took place from October 19-22 at the Las Vegas Convention Center and hosted over 130 speakers and multiple networking events with something for about everyone in the industry.

As the cannabis industry is adapting to changing laws and a more accepting society, the security industry is also advancing to meet these new needs. Each year, new security technologies emerge that can be applied or modified for the cannabis industry. This year, the cannabis industry is trending toward remote security technologies that could potentially improve business operations and efficiency.