Video Surveillance in Marijuana Dispensaries

A major hot button issue in the news (and polls) these days involves the legalization of marijuana. With this comes an entire vertical market with a world of possibilities for the security industry.

From state to state, regulations for marijuana dispensaries (medical or otherwise) differ. They do, however, have one major thing in common– the basic requirement of a video security system in place. This presents a huge opportunity for resellers in these areas.

Surveillance outside of a marijuana dispensary. Photo credit: The Stranger


The states of Washington and Colorado, as the first two U.S. states to legalize marijuana for recreational purposes, have paved the path for surveillance regulations, with other states following their lead.

In the state of Washington, the requirements for a surveillance system are pretty specific.

The equipment itself must be IP compatible with the ability to display timestamps, and a minimum camera resolution of 640×470 pixels. The recordings must be continuously recorded 24 hours a day, with storage of a minimum of 45 days.

Camera placement is highly regulated as well, with all entrances, exits, and perimeter areas under clear surveillance, as well as anywhere that marijuana is handled– including a designated “quarantine area.”

Oregon’s state regulations are similar to those in Washington, although it has a minimum of 30 days of video storage instead of the 45 that Washington requires. Some of the additional requests that the Oregon regulations include are a failure notification system and video encryption that ensures the authentication of the recordings done.

With the industry so new, the regulations are still adjusting– which means that customers are looking for a flexible surveillance system. As camera placements come under even more scrutiny and the industry grows, it’s important to be able to add cameras easily and adjust the storage time of video. It’s also crucial that video is easily sharable with local authorities, as that is another across-the-board must-have for video surveillance systems.

From an operations standpoint, employee theft is a major concern as it is such a cash-heavy business. Business owners will be looking to combine security and operations with their surveillance system, with remote viewing and ease of use as huge advantages.