Industries we protect
Cannabis Dispensary and Cultivation Security
Officers, access control, video and written procedures for licensed Arizona dispensaries, grow sites and manufacturing sites. We build security around the state security rule, then around the way your losses actually happen: robbery, burglary, cash handling and product walking out with someone who works there.
When you need cannabis dispensary security
Cannabis dispensary security is the combination of trained officers, controlled access, video monitoring and written procedures that protects a licensed marijuana retail site, cultivation site or manufacturing site from robbery, burglary and diversion. In Arizona it also has to line up with the Department of Health Services security rule for marijuana establishments, R9-18-312. Honeybadger Solutions staffs and designs that security in-house across Arizona, from storefronts in the Phoenix and Tucson metros to cultivation buildings in rural Pinal County.
Owners usually call us at one of these points:
- A new retail site or grow is opening and the security plan needs to be real, not just written for the application
- An inventory count came up short and nobody can explain where the product went
- A store was hit, or a nearby store was, and the overnight plan feels thin
- Cash pickups and bank runs have settled into the same days and times every week
- An inspection or internal audit flagged camera gaps, retention problems or missing policies
- The current guard company sends a different person every week who does not know the floor
What we cover
Most cannabis clients use two or three of these together. The mix depends on whether you run retail only, cultivation only, or a vertically integrated operation.
Retail floor and entry officers
Uniformed armed security officers or unarmed officers posted at the entry and lobby. They manage the queue, enforce your no-loitering policy, watch the sales floor and stay alert at opening and closing, when robberies tend to be planned.
Cultivation and manufacturing perimeter
Overnight officers, alarm response and remote video guarding for grow buildings and outdoor canopy walls. Rural sites get a response plan that accounts for real drive times, not a city address.
Cash and product movement escorts
Armed escort officers for cash pickups, bank deposits and transfers between your sites. We vary times and routes, and we plan around the trip plan your facility agent is already required to complete.
Rule-based security assessment
A security assessment that walks your site against each item in R9-18-312, then against your actual loss risks, and gives you a written gap list in priority order.
How it works
- Request online. Tell us the license type, the sites involved and what prompted the call. Your request goes to the security team, not a general inbox.
- Site walk. We walk the retail floor, vault, cash room, grow rooms, loading areas and perimeter at the hours that matter, including after dark.
- Gap list and plan. You get the rule items you meet, the ones you do not, and the risks the rule does not address at all.
- Post orders. We write officer instructions that match your own security policies, including who may enter limited access areas and how panic buttons are handled.
- Start and report. Officers start on an agreed date. You receive shift reports and incident reports in writing.
- Review. After any incident, inventory discrepancy or policy change, we revisit the plan with you.
What Arizona’s security rule requires
Adult-use marijuana establishments are licensed by the Arizona Department of Health Services under A.R.S. Title 36, Chapter 28.2, and A.R.S. 36-2854 directs the department to adopt the rules that govern them. The security rule is R9-18-312 in 9 A.A.C. 18. Medical-only dispensaries follow the parallel security rule, R9-17-318, in 9 A.A.C. 17. In plain terms, R9-18-312 calls for:
- Limited access. Areas where marijuana is cultivated, processed, manufactured or stored are limited to principal officers, board members and authorized facility agents, unless the person is supervised by a facility agent.
- Cultivation enclosure. Indoor cultivation in a closed, locked room. Outdoor cultivation surrounded by solid 10-foot walls of metal, concrete or stone that block the view of the plants, with a one-inch thick metal gate.
- Security equipment. Intrusion detection, exterior lighting, at least one 19-inch or larger call-up monitor, a printer that can produce a still photo from any camera, and cameras covering every entrance and exit of the building and of limited access areas at a resolution of at least 704 x 480.
- Camera placement. A camera at each point of sale that can identify the buyer, and a camera in each grow room that can identify activity in low light.
- Recording and power. At least 30 calendar days of video storage, an audible and visual alert when the monitoring system fails, and battery backup for at least five minutes of recording during a power outage.
- Panic buttons and policies. Panic buttons inside each building, plus written policies for identifying authorized people, deterring unauthorized removal of product, preventing loitering, running electronic monitoring and using the panic buttons.
- Transport. A written trip plan, a vehicle with no marijuana markings, GPS with at least 90 days of location history, interior video kept at least 30 days, a locked compartment, and trip records kept for two years.
Two practical points follow. First, under A.R.S. 36-2850 a facility agent is a principal officer, board member or employee of the establishment. Contract officers are not your employees, so plan on a facility agent supervising them whenever they are inside a limited access area. Second, the rule was last amended effective November 1, 2024. Read the current text, not an old summary, before you rely on any checklist, including this one.
Diversion and cash: where losses happen
Outside robbery, most cannabis losses are quiet. Product leaves in small amounts through the back door, the trim room or the disposal process. Cash goes missing between the register count and the deposit. Officers help by holding the line on who goes where and by keeping bag checks and exit procedures consistent, but they cannot fix weak inventory controls on their own. When the numbers do not add up, our licensed investigators can run an internal theft investigation that pairs video review with your inventory and access records.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Counting cameras instead of checking coverage. A camera on every door means little if retention runs short or a failure alert goes to a phone nobody answers.
- Predictable cash runs. Same day, same time, same vehicle is the pattern robbers watch for.
- Unsupervised contractors. Officers, cleaners and technicians wandering grow rooms or the vault breaks your own access policy.
- Untested battery backup. Monsoon storms knock power out. Test the five-minute recording backup before summer, not after an outage.
- No panic button drill. Staff should know who presses it, what happens next and where everyone goes.
- A loitering policy nobody enforces. The rule requires one. A posted officer who knows it is the easiest way to make it real.
Who this is for
- Adult-use and medical dispensaries
- Indoor and outdoor cultivation sites
- Manufacturing and extraction facilities
- Vertically integrated operators with several sites
- New licensees preparing to open
- Owners and investors after an unexplained loss
How it is priced
We do not publish prices. Cost depends on hours, armed or unarmed posts, the number of sites and whether escorts are needed. We quote in writing before any work starts.
| Included | Quoted separately |
|---|---|
| Site walk and written gap list for the officer scope | Full rule-based security assessment report |
| Written post orders matched to your policies | Armed escorts for cash and product moves |
| Shift reports and incident reports | Camera, alarm and access control upgrades |
| Plan review after an incident | Internal theft or diversion investigations |
Frequently asked questions
Does Arizona require a security guard at a dispensary?
R9-18-312 lists required equipment and policies but does not itself require a posted guard. Many operators still post officers because of robbery risk, local permit conditions or insurer requirements. Check your use permit and your policy before deciding.
Can your officers go into the vault or grow rooms?
Only under your policy and with a facility agent supervising them, because limited access areas are restricted to your principal officers, board members and authorized facility agents unless someone is supervised.
Do you transport cannabis for us?
No. Transport is done by your facility agents in a vehicle that meets the rule. We provide armed escort and route planning around those trips and around cash movements.
Should our officers be armed?
It depends on cash volume, location, hours and your insurer. We walk through the tradeoffs during the consultation and write the use-of-force and panic button procedures either way.
Do you cover rural cultivation sites?
Yes. We are headquartered in Casa Grande and staff sites across Arizona. Rural plans rely more on remote video, alarm response and realistic police response times.
Related services
- Armed security officers
- Remote and virtual guarding
- Access control system installation
- Security systems
- Alarm response and dispatch
- Employee theft investigations
Related guides
- Dispensary security guards in Arizona: a guide
- Cannabis cash transport and vault security
- Building a cultivation facility security plan
Sources: Ariz. Admin. Code R9-18-312, Security (marijuana establishments), Ariz. Admin. Code R9-17-318, Security (medical dispensaries), A.R.S. 36-2854, Rules and licensing, A.R.S. 36-2850, Definitions, Arizona Department of Health Services, Adult-Use Marijuana Program.
Request this service
Tell us what you need in a few lines. Your request goes straight to the right team, and you get a written quote before any work starts.
Guides on this topic
Protect the store, the grow and the cash
Request dispensary security online and it goes straight to the security team, with the details we need to plan a site walk. After a robbery, break-in or other active problem, use our urgent intake form.