As cannabis stores in Washington are being targeted in robberies, federal lawmakers are working to make the marijuana business safer.
A big update is expected this week as part of the effort to legalize marijuana at the federal level.
The robberies have become so frequent that cannabis stores in Washington are desperate for help.
Three deaths are linked to three armed robberies at western Washington stores in the last month.
A few days ago, the Craft Cannabis Coalition, which represents more than 50 cannabis retailers in Washington, asked state and county leaders for help.
Armed pot shop robberies have become common in Washington, and other states are also seeing an alarming rise in robberies because they are forced to only use cash.
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A new bill aims to help stop the problem by allowing marijuana businesses to use banking services.
The bill appears to have enough support to pass in the House. Lawmakers will vote on it this week.
If it passes in the House, the bill would then be considered in the Senate.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is backing the bill.
“Amazingly, in this 21st century, marijuana is still treated by federal laws with the same hostility as heroin,” said Schumer.
Some Republicans are expressing concern that it’s a hasty push by Democrats.
“Democrats rush to legalize marijuana without any heed or response to the rising epidemic of drug driving across the country. It would mean more dead and injured Americans on our highways,” said U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop (R-N.C.)
A recent poll by the Pew Research Center found that 91% of U.S. adults believe that marijuana should be legalized at least to some extent.
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