Metro’s top cop says he wants to keep medical pot businesses safe
In a state where selling pot could once net you life in prison, Clark County's top law enforcement officer told a room full of marijuana business owners Thursday that he wants to work with them.
Sheriff Joe Lombardo, who heads the 3,200-officer Metropolitan Police Department, made light of the historic nature of his appearance at a lunch meeting of the Las Vegas Medical Marijuana Association.
"Bear with me. I'm still trying to wrap my arms around the fact that the sheriff's in a marijuana (meeting)," he said to laughter.
Speaking just days after the county's first legal marijuana dispensary opened, Lombardo told the owners he wants to help make sure their businesses are safe.
The sheriff said his two biggest concerns are the prospect of people driving under the influence and the potential for robberies or thefts given the cash-heavy nature of the business.
"What happens when you have cash? You have people that want it," said Lombardo, who was elected sheriff in 2014 after 26 years as a Metro officer.
Marijuana businesses have struggled to find banks that will do business with them, given federal banking regulations and the continuing federal ban on all marijuana sales.
Lombardo encouraged businesses to invest in security by paying for quality employees and not to "cut corners" by trying to find cheaper options. He said it's just as important for businesses to keep their customers and parking lots safe as it is for them to protect the cash and products inside.
He also asked the industry to speak with one voice and tell police about businesses that are operating illegally.
"I'm up here to tell you we are not targeting you if you're acting within the law," Lombardo said during the meeting at the Fogo de Chão steakhouse.
In an interview afterward, the sheriff said he has directed his commanders to visit the marijuana businesses in their areas and get to know the owners. As the industry grows, police are still learning how to protect it, Lombardo said.
During the meeting, he addressed a common complaint among people who have spent millions of dollars to enter the legal market: the large number of illegal marijuana delivery services that advertise on websites including Weedmaps.com.
In an email, Medical Marijuana Association President John Laub urged police to act and wrote that illegal businesses "hurt the companies that are paying taxes and following the rules. It's unfair and illegal competition that needs to be stopped."
Early in his remarks, Lombardo joked, "I've already been beat up about Weedmaps. Leave me alone."
Later, he asked people in the crowd what they thought he should do about such services, and one said police should work with patients to set up stings against illegal businesses.
"I agree with you," Lombardo replied. "But everything I do is resource driven and priority driven. I do have folks proactive against businesses like Weedmaps and Craigslist and all that. But I also have a lot of other crime occurring in this valley."
The sheriff noted the futility of what he called the "failed war on drugs" approach. Referring to a typical drug sting, he said: "As we take one person off, another person replaces them."
After the event, Lombardo addressed a common belief among people in the marijuana industry: that Metro has been holding back and will go after illegal sellers harder now that legal ones are in business.
"That's absolutely false," he said.
Contact Eric Hartley at ehartley@reviewjournal.com or 702-550-9229. Find him on Twitter: @ethartley
