Two unidentified masked men robbed a medical marijuana dispensary near Longmont at gunpoint Thursday night.
Boulder County Sheriff’s Office deputies and Longmont Police officers responded at about 6:45 p.m. to the armed robbery at New Age Wellness at 19 South Sunset Street, according to Heidi Prentup, spokesperson for the sheriff’s office.
The suspects fled after stealing marijuana and a small amount of cash, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office. They have yet to be identified and the robbery is under investigation.
Two employees and no customers were in the building when the robbery occurred, Prentup said. No one was injured.
New Age Wellness declined to comment on the robbery.
How the robbers entered the facility was unknown, Prentup said. The shop was open for 15 more minutes when the deputies and officers responded, according to the business’s website. Colorado law requires medical marijuana dispensaries close at 7 p.m.
Because the federal government restricts banks from doing business with criminal enterprises, most marijuana stores in Colorado operate on a cash-only basis. State and federal authorities have recognized that the large amounts of cash sitting in marijuana stores put the businesses in danger of robbery.
In late August, the U.S. Department of Justice outlined initial expectations for the enforcement of new retail marijuana laws in Colorado and Washington state, one of which is the absolute ban on firearms in cultivation and distribution facilities. The federal government has turned a blind eye on Colorado facilities that keep guns in-house.
The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office asks anyone with information on the Longmont robbery to call dispatch at 303-441-4444.
CU Independent Breaking News Editor Ali Tadayon contributed to this report.
Contact CU Independent Managing Editor Alison Noon at Alison.noon@colorado.edu.
