At Cannaspire, we understand your need to keep an eye on your growing business at all times. With ever-changing regulations from state governments dictating video surveillance regulations, our expert consultants can help you through the process of creating a custom monitoring system for your cannabis business. With the ability to ensure that your facility, products, and employees are safe from harm, our comprehensive video surveillance and cloud video storage systems offer you peace of mind while protecting your most valuable assets.
Why Cannabis Businesses Need Video Surveillance
Keeping track of every aspect of your cannabis business is essential not only for industry success but also for the safety of employees and compliance with state regulations. Because cannabis businesses are considered higher risk enterprises for diversion due to valuable inventory and primarily cash transactions, optimizing your security capabilities is a priority at all times. Video surveillance can be used to safely monitor and record all activity in and around your facility, be it a small dispensary or a large grow operation, all from a central security center or even your mobile device!
Perimeter Security
Every exit and entry point in your facility must be monitored 24/7 without interruption due to light, weather conditions, blockages, or electrical failure. To accomplish this, make sure your system is secure and obtain a backup power source for your security system to prevent lapses in video surveillance that could open your organization to diversion or compliance violations. In addition to these stringent requirements, cannabis businesses must be observed and recorded 20 feet beyond the outer perimeter of your property (including fields, fences, and warehouses for grow operations) to prevent breaches and to keep track of transportation in and out of your facility.
Employee and Customer Safety
Video surveillance gives your business the ability to protect your most valuable assets, your employees, and your customers. Facility safety is a priority for any physical business operation, and the cannabis industry is no exception. In addition to employee emergency protocols and physical security measures you may have implemented already, a video surveillance system allows management to assess any physical threats to the organization and its employees. It provides valuable evidence to law enforcement if an incident occurs.
Inventory Monitoring
Keeping track of inventory is a crucial aspect of security for the cannabis industry for preventing diversion. The most significant threat faced by your company may well be employee diversion, which may account for up to 90% of products stolen in the cannabis industry. Constant surveillance of inventory storage and product/cash transports leaves little room for diversion to occur and can help your business maximize revenue and return on assets. As an additional benefit, video monitoring of a grow operation allows management to observe the progress and health of their cannabis plants remotely.
Compliance
With varying legislation regarding the handling and sale of cannabis across the United States, businesses should keep a close eye on changes to security regulations to remain in compliance. For video surveillance alone, each state has requirements for the number of surveillance cameras, camera image resolution, placement of cameras, remote access to surveillance video storage, and length of storage of recorded video. While some states currently dictate a minimum of 90 days of stored security footage, the industry standard is expected to follow California’s 1-year minimum in the next few years. All cameras must be operational 24/7 and make individuals identifiable from above and at eye level, but specific resolution and camera type may vary in your state. The stored video must be made available to law enforcement immediately upon request in the event of an incident or compliance audit.
Types of Video Surveillance
IP Cameras vs. Analog Cameras
IP (internet protocol) cameras and traditional analog cameras are the most common in video surveillance systems. While analog cameras boast a lower initial purchase cost, IP cameras offer a multitude of additional features that may make the cost difference negligible. IP cameras feature a higher maximum resolution, motion detection capabilities, WiFi connectivity for remote alerts and notifications, and a wider field of vision.
Cloud Video Surveillance
The adoption of cloud video surveillance can aid your business in handling one of the most difficult portions of a video security system: storage. Following state compliance protocol, you may be recording and storing terabytes of data every year. With the use of a cloud video surveillance system, your organization can reduce the need for on-premise video storage and maintain remote access to any security footage necessary at any time. While this system allows for permanent storage of video and access to real-time camera footage from anywhere, most cloud services carry a monthly or annual fee, as opposed to a one time cost (excluding maintenance expenses) for traditional, locally-hosted video surveillance systems.
