CANNABIS SECURITY TRAINING · OREGON
Trained to a standard. Proven by the work.
Security training for Oregon’s licensed cannabis businesses, built and taught by a military-trained instructor. Your employees, managers, and owners learn to recognize real threats, act within their role, and prove it on real scenarios, not a multiple-choice quiz.
MILITARY INSTRUCTOR-LED
BUILT ON REAL THREATS
ONLINE OR IN PERSON
IF THEY DON’T PASS, YOU DON’T PAY
WHY TRAIN PEOPLE
Cameras record. People decide.
Most incidents turn on what someone noticed, said, did, or wrote down. Equipment can’t do that part. Trained people can.
AT OPENING
A side door is propped open.
Does anyone notice it, check what is safe to check, and tell the right person?
AT THE COUNTER
A customer’s story doesn’t add up.
Good service, a respectful check, and escalation without profiling anyone.
AT THE REGISTER
A robbery.
Life before product. What an employee does in the first minute matters most.
AFTERWARD
The report gets written.
A report that mixes what was seen with what was assumed can’t be acted on.
MILITARY INSTRUCTOR DISCIPLINE
Every skill has a task, conditions, and a standard.
That is how military instructors teach, and it is how every VAKA class is built. “Understand incident reporting” is not an objective. This is:
TASK
Write a report someone else can act on.
CONDITIONS
Given a fixed event, a coworker’s secondhand account, and the report template.
STANDARD
What was seen, what was said, and what is unknown stay separate. Only actions actually completed are recorded.
01 · LEARN
The instructor states the standard and demonstrates it first.
02 · REHEARSE
The learner commits to a decision before seeing the answer.
03 · DEMONSTRATE
A changed case, so copying the example is not enough.
04 · MAINTAIN
The skill comes back later, so it sticks.
The method comes from Garrit Hunt’s military instructor training. It is not a military accreditation, and it does not turn a civilian employee into a security officer.
TRY IT
One minute inside a VAKA lesson.
A fictional case from VAKA 100, Incident Reporting. Sort each statement the way a good report would.
Fictional teaching case · VAKA 100 · E6 Incident reporting
- 09:12
Ren sees the side door partly open. Ren did not see anyone open it.
- 09:13
Coworker Jo says, “I think a courier used that door around nine.”
- 09:14
Ren messages the supervisor, describes the door, and asks for the camera footage to be preserved.
- 09:15
The supervisor acknowledges the message and says they will check.
No loss, cause, or responsible person is confirmed. Names and events are invented for teaching.
Statement 1 of 5 · How does a good report treat it?
“The side door was partly open at 09:12.”
THE CURRICULUM
One standard, four levels.
Everyone starts with the Foundation Core. Owners choose the path for their people and for themselves: employees take VAKA 100, managers and leadership add VAKA 200, and owners add VAKA 300.
Everyone
The shared operating base: threats, awareness, compliance basics, facility security, and emergency response.
Required first
Frontline employees
Budtenders, reception, inventory, and floor staff learn to notice, check, communicate, act within their role, and document.
Built toward CCSA · Certified Cannabis Security Associate
Managers & leadership
Shift leads, supervisors, and managers turn individual awareness into a team system, with hands-on drills, incident command, coaching, and SOP creation.
Built toward CCSS · Certified Cannabis Security Supervisor
Owners
Owners and operators govern security as a business function: risk, liability, systems and vendors, continuity, and metrics.
Built toward CCSE · Certified Cannabis Security Executive
Every class, level by level
Open a level to see its classes. Each one teaches a decision people make on the job.
Foundation CoreEveryone5 classes
- C1
The Cannabis Threat Landscape
Why licensed cannabis draws robbery, burglary, internal diversion, and fraud, and where trained people sit in a layered defense.
- C2
Situational Awareness Fundamentals
Set a baseline, notice what changed, and separate a cue from a conclusion. Appearance and nervousness are not evidence.
- C3
Security Compliance Basics (OLCC)
Limited-access areas, cameras, alarms, visitors, and authorized personnel, and why those controls protect people too.
- C4
Facility Access & Physical Security
Doors, locks, safes, keys, badges, and tailgating: the habits that make a physical control work.
- C5
Personal Safety & Emergency Response
First actions in a medical, fire, or evacuation event, a useful call for help, and people before property.
VAKA 100Frontline employees6 classes
- E1
Reading Customers & the Room
Behavior in context, a greeting that is both service and security, and a check that never profiles by appearance.
- E2
Robbery Response: Survive, Observe, Report
Life first. Stay calm, observe what will matter later, and report it. No pursuit and no heroics.
- E3
De-escalation & Conflict Management
Calm communication, clear boundaries, and knowing when to disengage and get help.
- E4
Fraud, Diversion & ID Integrity
Fake IDs, payment fraud, and diversion signs, handled through the authorized process without accusation.
- E5
Cash Handling & Open/Close Security
Cash limits, drops, dual control, and opening and closing without unsafe shortcuts.
- E6
Incident Reporting & Documentation
A report someone else can act on: what was seen, what was said, what is unknown, and what was done.
VAKA 200Managers & leadership7 classes
- M1
Building a Daily Security Culture
Shift huddles, the manager’s example, and reporting people are not afraid to make.
- M2
Incident Command for Managers
Taking command in the first minute: roles, communication, notifications, and care for staff and customers afterward.
- M3
Internal Theft & Diversion Control
Diversion indicators, segregation of duties, dual control, and escalation within legal and HR limits.
- M4
VSG & Law Enforcement Liaison
Working with VSG officers and agencies: relationships before an event and a clean handoff after one.
- M5
Audits, Drills & Compliance Management
Hands-on robbery, medical, and evacuation drills, self-audits, system checks, and after-action review.
- M6
Reinforcement & On-Site Coaching
Correction in the moment, short refreshers, and bringing new hires to the site’s standard fast.
- M7
Security SOP Creation & Implementation
The capstone: turn one priority procedure into a tested, site-specific SOP, then roll it out and keep it current.
VAKA 300Owners6 classes
- O1
Security as Business Strategy & Risk Governance
Threat and vulnerability assessment, risk posture, standards, and a review cadence an owner can run.
- O2
OLCC Compliance & Liability Management
Owning security rules and records, premises liability, insurance alignment, and documentation after an incident.
- O3
Physical Security Systems & Vendor Selection
Cameras, alarms, access control, safes, and protective services: selection, testing, and lifecycle.
- O4
Executive & Personal Protection Awareness
Owner-target risk, pattern and route discipline, digital exposure, and when to bring in professional protection.
- O5
Business Continuity & Crisis Management
Continuity for closure, robbery, and major loss, crisis communication, staff recovery, and after-action improvement.
- O6
Program Metrics & VSG Nexus OS Integration
What to measure, how to keep site knowledge, and how training and incident signals support decisions in VSG Nexus OS.
HOW IT’S DELIVERED
Online, or in person with a VSG instructor.
Every course runs either way. Choose what fits your team and your sites.
ONLINE
Fully online
Instruction, worked examples, real scenarios, written work, and instructor feedback, on your team’s schedule.
IN PERSON
With a VSG instructor
Live instruction and scenarios with a VSG instructor. VAKA 200 adds hands-on drills, SOP creation, and leadership work, online or in person.
OUR GUARANTEE
This is not a course everyone passes, and it isn’t meant to be. It is built on real security threats and graded on real work, not easy multiple-choice answers.
Every learner gets reassessment, an individual evaluation, and one-on-one instruction with a VSG instructor. If an employee or manager you enroll still can’t meet the standard, you don’t pay for that person.
01
Learn and perform
Real scenarios, graded on the work itself.
02
Coached and reassessed
Targeted help, an individual evaluation, and another case.
03
Meet the standard
Or you don’t pay for that learner.
Terms are set out in each enrollment agreement.
YOUR INSTRUCTOR
Garrit Hunt
FOUNDER, VETERANS SECURITY GROUP · LEAD INSTRUCTOR
Garrit is a United States Air Force veteran, firefighter, rescue technician, and RED HORSE combat defense team member. He founded Veterans Security Group in 2011 to protect Oregon’s cannabis industry, and he leads every VAKA course.
His military instructor training is why VAKA grades comprehension, not attendance. The instructor demonstrates the standard, the learner performs it, and nobody passes on a guess.
“I’ve seen civilian courses where everyone passes. That’s not the course I built.”
GARRIT HUNT
SERVICE
United States Air Force
BACKGROUND
Firefighter · rescue technician · RED HORSE combat defense
TEACHING
Military instructor training and experience
VSG
Founded 2011 to protect Oregon’s cannabis industry
FOR OWNERS AND OPERATORS
What your business gets.
VAKA is chosen by owners for their employees, their managers, and themselves.
01
One language across roles
Employees, managers, and owners use the same terms for risk, response, and reporting.
02
Consistent onboarding
New hires reach your site’s standard the same way, every time.
03
Reports you can act on
Facts, attributions, and unknowns kept separate, so decisions rest on evidence.
04
Drills that stick
Managers run robbery, medical, and evacuation drills, each followed by an after-action review.
05
Training status you can see
Know who has met the standard and who still needs work.
06
Part of your VSG program
VAKA fits alongside a VSG Security Review, Managed CSO, and VSG Nexus OS.
WHAT VAKA IS NOT
Clear about its limits.
NOT A LICENSE
Not a DPSST private-security license or an OLCC worker permit.
NOT GUARD TRAINING
Employees learn the safest action within their role, not pursuit or armed tactics.
NOT LEGAL ADVICE
Compliance topics support readiness. They are not legal, HR, or insurance advice.
NOT A SUBSTITUTE
Completion does not replace your site’s procedures or required hands-on qualifications.
QUESTIONS
What owners ask first.
Who is VAKA for?
Owners and managers of Oregon’s licensed cannabis businesses, including dispensaries, grows, and warehouses. Owners enroll their employees and managers, and take VAKA 300 themselves.
How do we get started?
Start with a conversation. VSG learns your sites and your roles and recommends where each person starts. There is no open cart.
Online or in person?
Both. Every course runs fully online, or in person with a VSG instructor.
What does “if they don’t pass, you don’t pay” mean?
If an employee or manager you enroll can’t meet the standard after reassessment and one-on-one instruction, you don’t pay for that person.
What does a learner earn?
Each level is built toward a VSG academy qualification: CCSA, CCSS, or CCSE. It is earned by meeting the standard, not by attending, and it is not a state license.