For years, conversations around cannabis have focused on legalization, market expansion, taxation, consumer demand, and shifting public perception. Those conversations matter. This industry has evolved rapidly from a fringe market into a multibillion-dollar sector with medical, retail, agricultural, and pharmaceutical implications. But while businesses race to scale operations and capture market share, many are overlooking one of the most important responsibilities tied to growth: protecting the sensitive data entrusted to them.

That oversight is becoming increasingly dangerous. The cannabis industry stores an enormous amount of personally identifiable information and, in many cases, protected health information tied to medical marijuana patients. Dispensaries and operators process payment information, maintain customer records, manage supply chains, and increasingly rely on interconnected digital systems. Yet many businesses within the industry still approach cybersecurity as something secondary, something they will address later once operations become more established.

In my view, that mindset reflects a misunderstanding of where the industry currently stands.

Cannabis may still feel like a young industry from a regulatory standpoint, but financially, operationally, and technologically, it is no longer operating like a startup market. The scale of money moving through the space is significant. The amount of customer and patient data being collected is significant. The public visibility surrounding cannabis businesses is significant. Criminals recognize that reality, even if some operators still do not.

Only 2% of organizations surveyed had implemented cyber resilience across their organizations, even as cyber risks ranked among the top concerns for business leaders globally. The same report noted that cloud-related threats, third-party breaches, and........

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