Security concerns are high in C.O. pot business

Recreational marijuana went on sale legally in Oregon on October 1. Needless to say, it was a hit.

“In Bend, it’s going to boom. In Oregon, it’s going to explode,” one medical marijuana user said Friday.

In the first 1 1/2 hours after opening, 300 customers walked through the doors at Oregrown in downtown Bend.

“Word on the street is that our line has been the longest in the state,” said Aviv Hadar, one of the four founders of Oregrown

By the end of the first day, 1,000 people came into the pot shop, known for its quality marijuana. Many items were going for around $60 or more. If you do the math, that’s thousands of dollars.

“The money is an issue,” Hadar said.

Not many budding businesses call money an “issue.” But when banks don’t want to get involved, it becomes one.

“Right now, what we have to do is fairly scary,” Hadar said.

Usually, when money rolls into a business, it gets put in the bank. But this cash-crop industry doesn’t have that luxury. Recreational marijuana is still illegal on the federal level, so many banks don’t want to take the risk by getting involved.

That makes security an issue, Hadar said. Any business with tons of cash on hand could be targeted. Oregrown hires armed security officers to patrol its grounds and walk workers to and from their cars.

Hadar says it will be a huge security concern until banks get on board.