Cannabis businesses in San Jose have some bones to pick with the city. Despite the high fees they pay each year, pot shops say they aren't being adequately protected from crime.
Two of the city’s 16 licensed cannabis businesses have already shut their doors amid an uptick in robberies. More businesses are considering doing the same.
“We pay $15 million in cannabis tax to the city in addition to the normal sales taxes we pay, and we get substandard service,” Silicon Valley Cannabis Alliance Founder Sean Kali-rai told San José Spotlight. “We feel cheated. We sell legal drugs, that in the wrong hands could be harmful. We and the people of San Jose deserve better. Meanwhile the illegal market is left untouched. Saying we don’t have the resources is a ‘cop’ out.”
To make matters worse, the city is considering aligning its commercial cannabis policies with the state’s, which could make it even harder for businesses to operate.
Read more about the frustrations at NBC News.