Michigan cannabis shops tighten security amid surge in break-ins

A recent wave of break-ins and robberies targeting marijuana stores across Michigan has prompted cannabis businesses to bolster their security.

Since Michigan legalized recreational cannabis in 2018, marijuana retailers have faced periodic spikes in break-ins, according to Michigan’s Capitol News Service.

However, the roughly $3.2 billion state industry is suffering through a more recent “record number of break-ins all over,” Calhoun County Sheriff Steve Hinkley said.

Cannabis crime wave spurs security upgrades

Hinkley attributed the crimes to the lucrative resale of stolen cannabis products. His warning comes after a break-in wave across southeast Michigan documented last year.

According to an April 2025 report by the Detroit Metro Times, at least 75 break-ins were recorded in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties between January 2024 and early 2025.

The report suggested the actual number could be higher.

Retailers are responding with enhanced security protocols

Flora Cannabis Co. in Lansing, for example, has installed panic buttons, silent alarms and a locked-door system controlled by reception.

Law enforcement agencies said they’re working closely with the cannabis industry to address the issue.

Record cannabis sales in 2025 offset by revenue decline

The break-ins come as Michigan sold a record number of cannabis products in 2025, even as declining prices resulted in a drop in overall sales revenue.

Michigan cannabis retailers sold nearly 260,000 more pounds of marijuana flower last year than they did in 2024, according to the Michigan Cannabis Regulatory Agency.

Cannabis stores reported about $3.17 billion in revenue in 2025, down by about $113 million from the previous year.

Michigan, the second-largest adult-use marijuana market in the country behind California, ended the year with 2,171 active cannabis licenses, down 85 from the previous year.

Although a 24% wholesale tax on adult-use cannabis took effect Jan. 1, many dispensaries are reporting that customer traffic has remained steady, according to WTOL.