When cannabis retailers think about security threats, armed robberies dominate the headlines. But the real threat is already inside the building—wearing your company shirt and clocking in every day. The Insider Threat Reality in Cannabis Retail Here's a statistic that should keep every dispensary owner awake at
President Trump's December 2025 executive order has put cannabis rescheduling on the fast track. Here's what the shift from Schedule I to Schedule III means for your security, compliance, and operations—and what you need to do before the rules take effect. The Rescheduling Is Happening—
The world's largest legal cannabis market has some of the strictest security requirements. Here's everything you need to know to stay compliant—and protected. Why California Matters California isn't just another cannabis market—it's the cannabis market. With over $5 billion in
Your firewall is bulletproof. Your employees? That's where 95% of breaches begin. Here's how to build a human firewall for your cannabis operation. The Human Vulnerability You can spend millions on security technology, but one employee clicking the wrong link can render it all useless. According
Your point-of-sale, METRC compliance systems, and customer WiFi should never share the same network. Here's how to architect secure network separation for cannabis operations. Why Network Segmentation Matters The STIIIZY breach didn't happen because of weak passwords or missing antivirus. It happened because an attacker who
The STIIIZY breach came through a POS vendor. MJ Freeway disrupted dispensaries across multiple states. Your security is only as strong as your weakest vendor. The Vendor Problem Here's an uncomfortable truth: you can have perfect internal security and still get breached through a vendor. In late 2024,
Cyber insurance for cannabis businesses is complicated—but not impossible. Here's how to get coverage, reduce your premiums, and ensure you're actually protected when something goes wrong. The Cannabis Cyber Insurance Challenge Let's be honest: getting cyber insurance for a cannabis business isn'
MEMBER EXCLUSIVE: This comprehensive guide includes downloadable templates, state-by-state requirements, and step-by-step implementation checklists available only to CannaSecure Dispensary Members. Executive Summary If you operate a medical cannabis dispensary, you're sitting on a goldmine of sensitive patient data—and a compliance minefield that could cost you everything. The
Why These Breaches Matter to Your Business The cannabis industry has a data breach problem. And it's getting worse. Since legalization began spreading across states and countries, the industry has accumulated a troubling track record of exposing customer data, patient records, employee information, and business-critical systems. These aren&
The 380,000 Customer Wake-Up Call In late 2024, STIIIZY—one of California's largest cannabis retailers—sent breach notifications to 380,000 customers. Names, addresses, birth dates, driver's license numbers, passport numbers, photographs, medical cannabis card details, and transaction histories were all exposed through a compromise
The 24-Hour Notice That Changes Everything It's Tuesday at 3:47 PM. Your phone rings. It's a number you don't recognize, but the area code matches your state cannabis regulatory agency. "This is [State Cannabis Control Board]. We're scheduling a compliance
Executive Summary The global landscape in 2026 is defined by a significant escalation in data privacy and cybersecurity regulation, coupled with increasingly sophisticated and costly cyber threats. The era of passive compliance has ended, replaced by a new paradigm of aggressive regulatory enforcement, particularly in the United States and Europe.
Insider Threat
The $75,000 Wake-Up Call The budtender arrived for her shift on a Tuesday morning. The vault was unlocked—a rare oversight by the closing manager the night before. She glanced at the security camera. Then at the stacks of cash . Three minutes later, she walked out with $75,000.
Cannabis Compliance
The $380,000 Question When STIIIZY suffered a data breach affecting 380,000 customers in 2024, the investigation revealed something more troubling than the breach itself: they had cybersecurity policies in place, but those policies hadn't been updated in over two years. Their documented "incident response plan&
Dispensary Operations
As France enters 2026, the nation's cannabis regulatory landscape is undergoing its most significant transformation in decades. With the medical cannabis pilot program set to transition into a permanent pharmaceutical framework on April 1, 2026, and increasingly aggressive enforcement against synthetic cannabinoids, businesses operating in or exporting to
The $380,000 Wake-Up Call In November 2024, STIIIZY—one of California's largest cannabis retailers—sent breach notifications to 380,000 customers. Names, addresses, birth dates, driver's license numbers, and medical cannabis card details were exposed through a compromised point-of-sale system. This wasn't an
Cannabis Compliance
The EU's most significant cybersecurity regulation in a decade is coming—and most cannabis businesses don't know they're in scope. Quick Reference: * Key Deadlines: September 11, 2026 (reporting obligations) | December 11, 2027 (full compliance) * Applies To: All "products with digital elements" sold
Germany Cannabis Compliance
Your comprehensive roadmap to navigating the regulatory, security, and data protection requirements for Germany's two-pillar cannabis system—from cultivation associations to commercial pilot programs. Introduction: Germany's Two-Pillar Cannabis System Germany's landmark Cannabis Act (Cannabisgesetz, or CanG) came into force on April 1, 2024, fundamentally
GDPR
Your comprehensive roadmap to EU data protection compliance—before regulators come knocking GDPR Cannabis Compliance 2025: The Complete Security & Data Protection Guide for EU Cannabis BusinessesThe definitive guide to navigating Europe’s strictest data protection requirements for cannabis dispensaries, medical cannabis operators, and cultivation facilities. Canna SecureProtecting Cannabis Businesses
Incident Response
The Complete Playbook for Handling Cybersecurity Incidents, Data Breaches & Compliance Emergencies When the breach happens, you won't have time to figure out what to do. This template tells you exactly how to respond—minute by minute, hour by hour. HOW TO USE THIS TEMPLATE Before an incident:
POS Security
The Complete Guide to Evaluating Your Cannabis Point-of-Sale Provider's Security Before you trust a vendor with 420,000+ customer records, make sure they can protect them. The Complete Dispensary Cybersecurity Hardening Guide: Protect Your Business Before You’re the Next Stiiizy420,000+ customer records exposed. Passports leaked. Purchase
seed-to-sale tracking
Every cannabis plant and product in legal states is tracked from germination to your pocket. Here's what that means for privacy, security, and compliance—and why you should care. Walk into a legal cannabis dispensary anywhere in the United States, and you're entering one of the
Dispensary Security
420,000+ customer records exposed. Passports leaked. Purchase histories published. Don't let this happen to you. The Wake-Up Call: Stiiizy Breach (January 2025) On January 10, 2025, Stiiizy—one of the largest cannabis brands in California—confirmed a devastating data breach. The Everest ransomware gang stole data from
Audit Preparation
In the evolving landscape of cannabis and psilocybin regulations, security remains a cornerstone to prevent theft, diversion, and unauthorized access. These requirements are mandated by state agencies like Colorado's Marijuana Enforcement Division (MED) and Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA), and Oregon's Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission