Marijuana regulators in Michigan are warning stakeholders in the state’s medical and recreational cannabis industries to remain vigilant and be wary of suspicious, potentially costly activity.
The Marijuana Regulatory Agency issued guidance Thursday alerting licensees, such as cannabis growers, producers and dispensaries, to incidents of fraud or attempted fraud brought to its attention.
In some cases, MRA said that someone pretending to be the owner or manager of a marijuana business would call or text one or several of its employees and request they send back specific photos.
“Licensees were contacted about an upcoming MRA inspection but this contact was not done by MRA staff,” the regulatory agency explained in the guidance. “The contacting individual requested photos of the alarm system, fire extinguishers, fire alarms, marijuana product, tracking numbers and exit doors,” potentially allowing would-be robbers to remotely conduct reconnaissance.
In one case, MRA said that someone impersonated the owner of a particular marijuana business, contacted one of its employees and then requested they send money to another person. The business, which is not identified by name in the document MRA issued, ultimately lost $100,000 as a result of the scam, according to the regulatory agency.
“In each call or text, the suspect disclosed business owners’ names or managers’ names and relayed pertinent information about the business, thus gaining the trust of the employees,” the MRA said.
“To remain vigilant to ongoing fraudulent activity, marijuana licensees and applicants for marijuana licenses are encouraged to ensure their staff verify the validity of the call or text with a manager or owner before taking action,” the agency advised.
Michigan legalized medical and recreational, or adult-use, marijuana in 2008 and 2018, respectively. It subsequently allowed licensed retail dispensaries to legally operate starting in late 2019.
MRA regulates Michigan’s medical and adult-use marijuana establishments and licensees in accordance with state law.
Marijuana is illegal under U.S. law, but most states have legalized it to some degree.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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