A cannabis dispensary in the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago had barely begun to welcome all adult customers before burglars decided to make a visit, stealing as much cash as they could find.

The Modern Cannabis (MOCA) dispensary is one of many across the state that opened for business one week prior to the burglary on the Northwest Side of Chicago. Illinois had just recently legalized adult-use cannabis and dispensaries have been packed with interested customers, leading to shortages in cannabis product and an influx of cash. MOCA had to close its doors to recreational customers the day prior to the burglary, due to low inventory.

MOCA had been operating as a medical cannabis dispensary with a security system prior to the legalization for adult-use, and there were no prior burglary incidents. It’s not clear how the burglars got in, though police suspect they may have entered through a sidedoor, possibly even having a real access card to the facility, but it remains unclear how exactly it happened. Regardless, it is important to hire the right people for your dispensary and train them to follow security protocols to prevent these kinds of incidents.

If MOCA has the right dispensary insurance to cover their needs, then recovering from this setback may not take as long. Property protection insurance could cover the cost of replacing equipment and infrastructure that was broken during the burglary, and business interruption insurance could help close the gap of income for your business in the wake of such a financial loss.

Most dispensaries are forced to keep large amounts of cash on site due to federal regulations that make it difficult to work with banks and credit unions, which can make dispensaries tempting targets for burglars. But does it really increase the risk of crime to have a dispensary? Largely no, due to the increased security they bring plus offering a legal source for cannabis. But it doesn’t mean that the businesses won’t be targeted.

The timing of this burglary was well-planned, as well. The burglars likely knew there had been a large volume of sales and that they were unable to buy more inventory, meaning more cash would be more likely to be stored on site than usual. It was also on a Monday, before any deposits could be made. These are the times to hire extra security, when there is an unusual volume of sales and cash. MOCA only had on-site security during open hours, so no one was there when the burglars arrived.

How much the burglars got away with is unclear, but what we do is they only got away with the cash. No cannabis products were stolen in the midnight heist, which makes it an easier burglary to recover from than some. (Although some would-be cannabis thieves have been sorely disappointed when they’ve tried.) MOCA has received a great deal of support from their customers and fans following the incident. They are still closed, in part due to selling out of inventory after legalization and likely in part to the burglary, but they hope to be open again soon.