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U.S. NEWS Thursday 21 april 2022
Pot shop robberies, deaths fuel calls for U.S. banking bill

SEATTLE (AP) — A surge in with state financial regula-
robberies at licensed can- tors to highlight local banks
nabis shops — including a and credit unions that work
pistol-whipping, gunshots with the industry as well as
and killings in Washington third-party vendors that
state last month — is help- cannabis retailers can use
ing fuel a renewed push to conduct cashless phone
for federal banking reforms transactions.
that would make the cash- Marijuana shops that can
dependent stores a less ap- afford it have hired private
pealing target. security guards, some-
"It makes absolutely no times at costs of more
sense that legal businesses than $50,000 a month for a
are being forced to oper- round-the-clock detail, said
ate entirely in cash, and it's Adán Espino, executive di-
dangerous — and some- rector of the Craft Canna-
times even fatal — for em- bis Coalition, which repre-
ployees behind the regis- sents more than 60 retail
ter," Washington Sen. Patty stores in Washington. Some
Murray, the third-ranking of the businesses have tried
Democrat in the Senate, to hire guards, only to find
said in a statement emailed that security companies
to The Associated Press. are completely booked, he
Although 18 states have le- A sign warns that firearms are prohibited at Mary Mart, a marijuana store, Tuesday, April 19, 2022, said.
galized the recreational use in Tacoma, Wash., as armed security guard Austin MacMath stands watch outside at left. Espino said he's pushing for
of marijuana, and 37 allow Associated Press state lawmakers to give tax
its medical use, it remains credits to cannabis stores
illegal under federal law. and innovation bill. appeared coordinated. In the last few days, police that have to shell out mon-
Because of that, big banks Cannabis industry activ- Industry trackers in Wash- have arrested a 15-year- ey for security.
and credit card compa- ists said they consider her ington state have reported old boy and a 16-year- Mary Mart, a cannabis out-
nies have long been reluc- announcement an impor- at least 80 so far this year, old boy in the killing of let in Tacoma, hired armed
tant to work with the indus- tant signal that after years mostly in the Puget Sound employee Jordan Brown, security in March after it
try, leaving the businesses of work, the banking issue region. 29, at Tacoma's World of was robbed twice in two
heavily reliant on cash and might finally get resolved While dispensaries are fre- Weed. Authorities said the months — including, po-
making them attractive this year, allowing finan- quent targets for robberies, pair were responsible for at lice say, by the two teens
marks for robbers. cial institutions to handle the spate in Washington is least 10 other armed rob- who days later killed Brown.
On the annual 4/20 mari- marijuana money in states helping drive the national beries, including several at Budtender Amara Barnes,
juana holiday Wednesday, where it is legal without fear conversation about bank- pot shops. who was not present for ei-
Murray held a news con- of federal prosecution, loss ing reform. Last month, a "The number of these rob- ther robbery, said she and
ference at a suburban Se- of their federal deposit in- suspect shot and killed an beries is shocking," said Da- other employees had their
attle cannabis store to say surance or other penalties. employee at a canna- vid Postman, the chairman hours cut to help offset the
she will prioritize marijuana There recently has been a bis store in Tacoma; an ID of the Washington Liquor cost.
banking reform as part of massive spike in the robber- checker shot and killed a and Cannabis Board. "It's scary. I had worked
her work as a key negotia- ies for reasons that aren't robber in Covington; Seat- The board in the past here for four years with-
tor on a conference com- entirely clear. Dozens of tle police shot and killed a month has held public safe- out any kind of incident,"
mittee that is ironing out cannabis businesses in the suspect following a robbery ty discussions with retailers, Barnes said. "To have a
differences in House and San Francisco Bay Area in Bellevue; and a robber recruited law enforcement couple kids come in and
Senate versions of a major were hit last fall in a wave pistol-whipped a worker at to talk to retailers about do that, it really shakes the
federal competitiveness of attacks that sometimes an Everett shop. best practices, and worked confidence."q

1 drug company settles ahead of San Francisco opioid trial

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Drugmaker Endo was announced along with about $250 million the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospi-
Pharmaceuticals has agreed to pay the city of in agreements between the state and other tal are opioid-related, Chiu said Wednesday.
San Francisco $10 million over its role in selling companies. The companies will likely contend that the opi-
prescription opioids in the city. An Endo spokesperson did not immediately oids they shipped and sold were prescribed le-
City Attorney David Chiu announced the set- respond to requests for comment from The As- gally. It's among the first wave of federal cases
tlement Wednesday, five days before a trial is sociated Press. chosen for trial from about 3,000 that were
to begin of the city's claims against other com- The San Francisco trial is scheduled to open consolidated before a federal judge in Cleve-
panies in the opioid industry. in U.S. District Court on Monday with claims in- land. Some companies have reached nation-
Chiu said Endo, the maker of the prescription volving the drugmakers Allergan and Teva, dis- wide settlements, but cases involving others
painkiller Percocet, is to pay $5 million this year tribution company Anda and pharmacy chain are going to trial in courts across the country.
and another $5 million over the next decade, Walgreens. Opioid trials are currently being held in state
with the money being used to fight the opioid Lawyers for the city are expected to delve courts in Florida and West Virginia. Closing ar-
epidemic. into the toll on San Francisco. Last year, Mayor guments in a Washington state case sched-
The Malvern, Pennsylvania-based company London Breed launched an initiative intended uled for this month were recently moved to
has agreed to nearly $300 million worth of to bring down violence and overdoses in the July. And parties are awaiting a judge's ruling
settlements of opioid claims with U.S. govern- city's Tenderloin and South of Market neigh- in another West Virginia trial held last year.
ment entities since 2019, according to an As- borhoods, where about two people a day Overdoses from prescription and illicit opioids
sociated Press tally. One of them, for $25 mil- were dying from overdoses. have been linked to more than 500,000 deaths
lion, came just this week with Alabama; that One-fourth of the emergency room visits at in the U.S. in the last two decades.q