Cannabis Essentials
For Insurance Professionals Placing Small to Mid-Sized Cannabis Risks
Dedicated Underwriting | AM Best A-X Carrier | Admitted and E&S Options
Built for small to mid-sized licensed cannabis operators.
Backed by an AM Best A-X rated carrier through an exclusive program available only with Conifer.
- Admitted and E&S options (state specific)
- New ventures considered
- Available Nationwide (excluding FL)
- Michigan attestation forms available
Core Coverage Structure
Liability
- General Liability: Up to $2M/$2M
- Product Liability (Claims Made): Up to $1M/$2M
- Marijuana / Premises Liability
Property
- Up to $5M per location
- Buildings, Crop & Stock, Goods in Process, Business Personal Property, Improvements & Betterments, Business Income, Equipment Breakdown, plus more
- Property Enhancement Endorsement (20+ coverage extensions)
- Lessors Risk Only
Commercial Auto
- Hired & Non-Owned Auto
Optional Add-On Products
- Cyber Liability
- Surety Bonds
Target Classes
Conifer focuses on defined cannabis classes where underwriting experience and program structure matter.
As legalization expands, agents are seeing more cannabis opportunities — but not every insurance provider understands the operational, regulatory, and product liability exposure tied to these risks.
Our cannabis programs are built specifically for licensed operators across the supply chain, giving you a market that:
- Understands state compliance requirements
- Evaluates security and operational controls
- Addresses product liability exposure
- Supports property and inventory concentration risks
We target the following licensed cannabis operations:
Insuring Cannabis Dispensaries
Dispensaries carry a mix of retail liability, product exposure, high-value inventory, and regulatory requirements. Placing these risks requires a market built for cannabis operations, not a standard retail form adapted after the fact.
Conifer’s dedicated cannabis underwriting team evaluates dispensary risks with an understanding of compliance requirements, security controls, and operational detail that generalist markets don’t offer.
Coverage For Cannabis Dispensaries
Cannabis dispensaries require coordinated coverage across liability and property lines. Core protections typically include:
General Liability Insurance: Addresses premises exposure, customer injury, and third-party claims arising from daily retail operations.
Product Liability Insurance (Claims Made): Protects against claims tied to cannabis and THC-infused products sold.
Property Insurance: Covers buildings, stock, business personal property, harvested material, and business income resulting from covered loss.
Equipment Breakdown: Protection for critical systems that support day-to-day retail operations.
Dispensaries may be written under Cannabis Essentials for small to mid-sized operators or Cannabis Select for larger and multi-state retail accounts.
Insuring Cannabis Product Manufacturers
Cannabis manufacturers face product liability exposure at every stage, from formulation and extraction to packaging and labeling. Edibles, concentrates, tinctures, and topicals each carry distinct risk profiles tied to dosing accuracy, contamination, and regulatory compliance.
Conifer’s dedicated cannabis underwriting team evaluates manufacturing risks with direct knowledge of production processes, quality control requirements, and the product liability exposures that come with putting finished goods into the market.
Coverage For Cannabis Product Manufacturers
Manufacturing risks require coordinated liability and property protection. Core coverages typically include:
General Liability Insurance: Addresses premises exposure, vendor requirements, and third-party claims tied to operations.
Product Liability Insurance (Claims Made): Protects against claims arising from manufactured, processed, or infused cannabis products.
Property Insurance: Covers buildings, business personal property, finished stock, harvested material, goods in process, and business income following covered loss.
Equipment Breakdown: Protection for production-critical systems and machinery.
Cannabis product manufacturers may be written under Cannabis Essentials for small to mid-sized operators or Cannabis Select for larger or multi-state operations.
Insuring Cannabis Labs & Safety Compliance Facilities
Cannabis testing labs and safety compliance operations operate in a regulated environment where accuracy, documentation, and process control matter. These risks involve professional services exposure, controlled substances handling, specialized equipment, and strict state oversight.
Placing lab risks requires underwriters who understand compliance-driven operations and contractual requirements tied to growers, manufacturers, and retailers. Conifer’s cannabis programs are structured to support testing and safety compliance businesses with dedicated cannabis underwriting.
Coverage for Labs & Safety Compliance Facilities
Testing and compliance operations require coordinated liability and property protection. Core coverages typically include:
General Liability Insurance: Addresses premises exposure, third-party injury, and operational liability.
Professional / Errors & Omissions Exposure (where applicable): Protects against claims tied to testing accuracy, reporting, and compliance services.
Product Liability Insurance (Claims Made): Applies where lab activities create downstream product-related exposure.
Property Insurance: Covers buildings, business personal property, lab equipment, and business income following covered loss.
Equipment Breakdown: Protection for specialized testing and analytical systems critical to daily operations.
Cannabis testing labs may be written under Cannabis Essentials or Cannabis Select depending on structure and scale.
Insuring Cannabis Extraction Operations
Cannabis extraction facilities process raw plant material into concentrates, oils, distillates, and isolates using methods that carry elevated risk. Solvent-based extraction (butane, ethanol, CO2) introduces fire, explosion, and chemical handling exposures. Solventless methods carry lower volatility risk but still involve specialized equipment and high-value output.
Conifer’s dedicated cannabis underwriting team evaluates extraction operations based on the specific methods used, facility safety controls, ventilation and fire suppression systems, and output volumes, not just square footage and revenue.
Coverage for Cannabis Extraction Operations
Extraction facilities require coordinated liability and property protection. Core coverages typically include:
General Liability Insurance: Addresses premises exposure and third-party operational claims.
Product Liability Insurance (Claims Made): Protects against claims arising from extracted or concentrated cannabis products.
Property Insurance: Covers buildings, business personal property, finished stock, goods in process, and business income due to covered loss.
Equipment Breakdown: Protection for extraction systems and production-critical machinery.
Cannabis extraction risks may be written under Cannabis Essentials or Cannabis Select depending on operational scale and structure.
Insuring Cannabis Microbusinesses
Cannabis microbusinesses operate across multiple license types under a single operation, often combining cultivation, processing, manufacturing, and retail at a smaller scale. This vertically integrated model creates a layered risk profile that doesn’t fit neatly into standard class codes. A single location may carry grow exposure, product liability, retail foot traffic, and processing equipment all under one roof.
Conifer’s dedicated cannabis underwriting team evaluates microbusiness risks based on the full scope of operations rather than forcing them into a single class. We understand how these license types interact and where exposures overlap.
Coverage for Cannabis Microbusinesses
Microbusinesses require coordinated protection across multiple operational segments. Core coverages typically include:
General Liability Insurance: Addresses premises exposure and third-party claims tied to retail and operational activity.
Product Liability Insurance (Claims Made): Protects against claims arising from manufactured or sold cannabis products.
Property Insurance: Covers buildings, business personal property, stock, harvested material, goods in process, and business income due to covered loss.
Equipment Breakdown: Protection for cultivation and processing systems critical to daily operations.
Optional Enhancements: Cyber liability and other endorsements may be available based on operational profile.
Microbusinesses are written under Cannabis Essentials, which is designed for small to mid-sized licensed operators. The program’s package structure allows all operational exposures to be covered under a single policy rather than piecing together separate placements for each license type.
Insuring Cannabis Transporters
Cannabis transportation operations move product between cultivators, manufacturers, distributors, dispensaries, and testing labs. These operations carry exposures tied to cargo value, route frequency, chain-of-custody requirements, and state-by-state regulatory compliance. A missed delivery, damaged product, or theft event can create liability and property claims that standard commercial auto and inland marine forms aren’t designed to cover.
Conifer’s dedicated cannabis underwriting team evaluates transporter risks based on what’s being moved, how it’s secured, and the regulatory framework governing each route.
Coverage for Cannabis Transporters
Cannabis transportation operations require coordinated liability and property protection. Core coverages typically include:
General Liability Insurance: Addresses premises and third-party operational exposure.
Product Liability Insurance (Claims Made): Applies where handling or distribution activity creates downstream product-related claims.
Property Insurance: Covers buildings, business personal property, and business income following covered loss.
In-Transit or Stock Coverage (where applicable): Protection for cannabis product while being transported, subject to underwriting review.
Cannabis transportation risks may be written under Cannabis Essentials or Cannabis Select depending on structure and operational scale.
Insuring Cannabis Processors
Cannabis processors handle the post-harvest stages that prepare raw plant material for sale or further manufacturing. This includes trimming, drying, curing, sorting, and packaging. While processors don’t typically carry the same volatility risk as extraction operations, they face exposures tied to product handling volumes, inventory values, contamination during processing, and compliance with state packaging and labeling requirements.
Conifer’s dedicated cannabis underwriting team evaluates processor risks based on the specific handling methods, throughput volume, inventory on-site, and the downstream liability that comes with preparing product for distribution.
Coverage for Cannabis Processors
Processing operations require coordinated liability and property protection. Core coverages typically include:
General Liability Insurance: Addresses premises exposure and third-party operational claims.
Product Liability Insurance (Claims Made): Protects against claims arising from processed, packaged, or labeled cannabis products.
Property Insurance: Covers buildings, business personal property, finished stock, goods in process, harvested material, and business income due to covered loss.
Equipment Breakdown: Protection for processing systems and production-critical machinery.
Cannabis processor risks may be written under Cannabis Essentials or Cannabis Select depending on size, structure, and operational complexity.
Submissions & Downloads
How to Submit a Risk
Send completed applications and loss runs to the appropriate email:
- Cannabis Essentials: CommercialLines@ConiferInsurance.com
- Cannabis Select: CannabisSelect@ConiferInsurance.com
Not sure which program fits? Send the submission to CommercialLines@ConiferInsurance.com and our team will route it.
What We Need
- Completed Conifer Cannabis Application, ACORD forms, or equivalent completed application
- 3-5 years of loss runs (current and prior carriers)
Frequently Asked Questions for Cannabis Essentials Insurance
Both Cannabis Essentials and Cannabis Select are backed by carriers rated AM Best A-X (Excellent).
Cannabis Essentials is admitted in Michigan. In all other states (excluding Florida), it operates as an Excess & Surplus (E&S) program. Cannabis Select is E&S nationwide.
Cannabis Essentials is designed for small to mid-sized licensed cannabis operators with GL up to $2M/$2M and property up to $5M per location. Cannabis Select is built for larger, more complex operations and multi-state operators, with GL up to $5M/$5M and property up to $30M per location. Not sure which fits? Send your submission to CommercialLines@ConiferInsurance.com and our team will route it to the right program.
Yes. Cannabis Essentials is admitted in Michigan and includes Marijuana/Gram Shop Liability coverage as part of the package. This satisfies Michigan’s proof of financial responsibility requirements under Public Acts 160 and 55 of 2021, including Attestation J (Medical) and Attestation 2D (Adult Use). A Michigan cannabis operator who places coverage with Conifer Essentials does not need a separate policy for the state attestation.
Attestation documentation is provided as part of the Cannabis Essentials binding process for Michigan risks. Contact CommercialLines@ConiferInsurance.com to confirm timing and process for your client’s licensing or renewal deadline.
Some Michigan cannabis operators carry a standalone attestation policy to satisfy the state’s minimum proof of financial responsibility requirement. These policies are compliance tools, not commercial insurance programs. They do not provide commercial general liability, products liability, or property coverage. A client holding only a minimum-limits attestation policy may be underinsured for premises claims, product claims, property loss, crop damage, and equipment breakdown. Conifer Essentials satisfies the attestation requirement and provides full commercial coverage in one program, one carrier, one renewal cycle.
Yes. Crop and stock coverage is available in the Cannabis Essentials property program.
Yes. LRO coverage is available under both Cannabis Essentials or Cannabis Select.
Yes. Cannabis Essentials can offer coverage for crop and stock, goods in process, and harvested plant material as part of the property program.
Yes. Product Liability coverage (claims made) is available in both Cannabis Essentials and Cannabis Select and applies to cannabis and THC-infused products manufactured or sold by the insured.
Completed Conifer Cannabis Application, ACORD forms, or equivalent completed application, plus 3-5 years of loss history. Submit to CommercialLines@ConiferInsurance.com (Essentials) or CannabisSelect@ConiferInsurance.com (Select).