Building a Cannabis Dispensary in Michigan

Michigan Cannabis Dispensary Recommended Video Surveillance:

The video surveillance system must record, at a minimum, the following areas:

• Any areas where cannabis products are weighed, packed, stored, loaded, and unloaded for transportation, prepared, or moved within the marihuana establishment;
• Limited access areas and security rooms; 
• Areas between rooms where transfers of cannabis occur;
• Areas storing a surveillance system storage device with not less than 1 camera recording the access points to the secured surveillance recording area;
• The entrances and exits to the building must be recorded from both indoor and outdoor vantage points. 
• The areas of entrance and exit between marihuana establishments at the same location if applicable, including any transfers between cannabis establishments;
• Point of sale areas where cannabis products are sold and displayed for sale; and
• Anywhere cannabis or marihuana products are destroyed. 

The cannabis dispensary video surveillance cameras must record at all times with a minimum of 720p resolution. Each camera should be permanently mounted in a fixed location. 

Security cameras must be placed to allow the camera to clearly record activity occurring within 20 feet of all points of entry and exit of the marijuana establishment and allow for the clear and certain identification of any person, including facial features, and activities, including sales or transfers, in all areas required to be recorded.

Surveillance cameras which record continuously 24 hours per day and recorded images must clearly and accurately display the time and date.

The cannabis dispensary must secure the physical media or storage device on which surveillance recordings are stored in a manner to protect the recording from tampering or theft. 

Surveillance recordings must be maintained for a minimum of 30 days, except in instances of investigation or inspection by the agency in which case the licensee shall retain the recordings until the time as the agency notifies the licensee that the recordings may be destroyed. 

The video surveillance system must be equipped with a failure notification system that provides notification to the licensee of any interruption or failure of the video surveillance system or video surveillance system storage device.

Michigan Cannabis Dispensary Recommended Security Requirements:

Cannabis dispensary construction must take into account the safety requirements which are different for a dispensary than other retail establishments. The MRA states that that a provisioning center shall have a separate room that is dedicated as the point of sale area for the transfer or sale of cannabis. The dispensary shall keep cannabis products behind a counter or other barrier to ensure a consumer in the store does not have direct access to the cannabis products. And all areas where cannabis is stored such as the workroom and vault must be limited and restricted access areas with only designated employees having access.

Vault:

In a Michigan dispensary, the cannabis must be stored in a secure room for overnight storage. Typical cannabis dispensary construction utilizes a vault type method of construction: the walls, floors, and ceilings of the vault are typically constructed of at least eight (8) inches of reinforced concrete or other substantial masonry, reinforced vertically and horizontally with one-half (1⁄2) inch steel rods tied six (6) inches on center, or the structural equivalent to such reinforced walls, floors, and ceilings. Alternate methods of metal stud framing and barrier mesh is allowed under certain circumstances. 

The door and frame unit of which vault shall have thirty (30) man-minutes against surreptitious entry, ten (10) man- minutes against forced entry, twenty (20) man-hours against lock manipulation, and twenty (20) man-hours against radiological techniques;

The vault, if operations require it to remain open for frequent access, shall be equipped with a “day-gate” which is self-closing and self-locking, or the equivalent, for use during the hours of operation in which the vault door is open

Storage:

Authorized on-premises storage. A dispensing organization must store inventory on its premises. All inventory stored on the premises must be secured in a restricted access area and tracked consistently with the inventory tracking rules. 

A dispensary shall be of suitable size and construction to facilitate cleaning, maintenance, and proper operations. 

A dispensary shall maintain adequate lighting, ventilation, temperature, humidity control, and equipment. 

Containers storing cannabis that have been tampered with, damaged, or opened shall be labeled with the date opened and quarantined from other cannabis products in the vault until they are disposed. 

Cannabis that was tampered with, expired, or damaged shall not be stored at the premises for more than 7 calendar days. 

Cannabis samples shall be in a sealed container. Samples shall be maintained in the restricted access area. 

The dispensary storage areas shall be maintained in accordance with the security requirements in this Act and rules. 

Cannabis must be stored at appropriate temperatures and under appropriate conditions to help ensure that its packaging, strength, quality, and purity are not adversely affected.