It’s definitely expensive to get compliant in the cannabis industry in order to qualify for your license. When you look at the overall costs of acquiring the location, the equipment, the staff, getting your banking figured out, and how you are going to track each plant product and each sale, it’s a whole lot to deal with, and security is just another piece of that pie needing a solution to get your license.
It’s tempting to go with the cheapest system you possibly can. Here are 5 reasons why this is risky:
1 – You may not pass inspection
Oregon has some of the most stringent regulations in the country for cannabis facilities. There are almost 6 pages in the Oregon Administrative Rules (OARs) that the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) has devoted to outlining exactly what your security system needs to include, cover, and ensure. These are complicated and exacting rules that are difficult to navigate if you are not intimately familiar with how to design, wire, set up, and integrate good quality products to make sure you check all those boxes.
2 – If you fail inspection, it could sink your whole venture
If you do not get your security system just right, and then OLCC comes to do your inspection and you fail . . . what then? The OLCC has not limited the number of applicants into the cannabis licensing process as other states have done, and they only have a few inspectors covering the whole state. What this means for new businesses (or expanding ones) is that if the OLCC needs to come back, you are punted to the bottom of the line again, and you may need to wait three months for them to come back out and reinspect after failing an inspection. Can your investors and your business wait three months to start being able to make money on your product? With all the money you’ve already invested by the time you get to your inspection, you are ready to roll, and a three month delay could be extremely detrimental.
3 – Even if you pass inspection, your system may not be secure
There are a lot of moving parts with a video surveillance system and an alarm system. The number of components and sensitive electronics makes it more likely for a flaw to develop in your system. If your system stops working, will you be notified? If a component has an error, do you have the expertise to trouble shoot where the failure occurred and the knowledge base to fix it? What happens if you don’t notice your system isn’t working right until you have a theft and need to review your video history?
4 – You can’t get the best products with premier features unless you go through a professional installer
Products available for retail are not the highest quality on the market. Cameras like Samsung (now Hanwha Techwin) and systems like DMP’s Touchscreen Keypad with corresponding apps on your phone or iPad have to be purchased through a dealer. The best products just can’t be bought by walking into your local Best Buy.
5 – Your product and your employees are unparalleled, and worth the highest level of protection
You’ve worked very hard to have the best product there is, and you’ve hired fantastic staff to help you. Now you need to protect it. A do-it-yourself system may get the license you need, but you deserve real protection, with experts who have been in the industry for decades and understand security systems and only do security systems. Hiring a company who focuses exclusively on security means that you can use their expertise so you don’t have to worry about it.
