Intense Security Measures at Marijuana Dispensaries Following Incident

Marijuana dispensaries secure their facilities and employees for all possible scenarios.

• By Sydny Shepard
• Jan 10, 2019

The legalization of marijuana has led to the opening of an abundance of dispensaries in states that allow the pot business to bloom. With marijuana dispensaries comes the intense security measures that guard the product and the people inside. 

Detroit's WXYZ news station took at look at the security measures implemented at local dispensaries following a smash and grab operation where a truck rammed into a marijuana dispensary and eight suspects entered the building and stole as much as possible. The robbery took less than three minutes. 

"When things like this happen, it's always an opportunity to reassess your security measures," Anqunette Jamison Sarfoh from BotaniQ, the dispensary that was robbed, said. 

At Greenhouse Dispensary in Walled Lake, Mich. there is a panic button system in place throughout the entire building in different locations. An employee from the dispensary told WXYZ that the panic button contacts the police within five seconds and first responders usually arrive within three minutes. 

Employees of the dispensary also wear pins that are covert communication devices. When an employee presses the button on the pin, three programmed phones receive a text message indicating the pin is in trouble and its location. 

The dispensary also spent $18,000 installing a large vault, security cameras and bullet proof glass. The building is also retrofitted the walls with bulletproof steel so that no one can shoot through the walls of the facility. 

Both BotaniQ and Greenhouse use undisclosed banks to help manage their money and work off a cashless ATM to decrease the amount of cash at the locations. Greenhouse says an armored car comes to the dispensary for cash drops.