‘Fort Knox’ Security For Illinois Marijuana Trade

Medical marijuana in Illinois will be encased in vaults, monitored by security guards and protected by fingerprint-recognition biometrics.

Silent alarms, 24-hour video surveillance and bulletproof glass will safeguard the retail centers where patients with special IDs will be escorted to their cars after buying pot.
 
That's the picture painted by business owners who are competing for a limited number of marijuana cultivation and dispensary permits under the state's new law.

A detailed security plan will give an edge in the scoring, so many of the applicants say they're exceeding the Illinois law's already-strict requirements.
 
Terry Gainer is the security adviser for Chicago-based Green Thumb Industries, one of the ventures applying for permits. Gainer says the security for the marijuana businesses will be "much like Fort Knox.''