Cannabis went from federally banned to a multi-billion-dollar legal industry in less than two decades. Insurance, predictably, didn't keep up.
The early operators — the cultivators, dispensary owners, and processors who built the legal market state by state — found out fast that traditional insurance carriers wouldn't write them. Standard policies excluded marijuana by default. Most brokers had no idea how to structure a cultivation property schedule, let alone explain a Schedule I exclusion to a new dispensary owner.
That gap is what Spire Insurance Solutions was built to close.
Why generalist brokers couldn't (and still can't) write cannabis
Cannabis insurance isn't difficult because the policies don't exist — specialty programs have grown rapidly. It's difficult because:
- The carrier panel is narrow and changes constantly
- Policy forms have non-obvious exclusions (Schedule I, ingestibles, contraband clauses)
- Underwriting requires familiarity with cultivation, processing, and dispensary operations
- Claim outcomes depend on specific endorsements that generalist brokers don't think to ask for
A broker writing primarily home and auto can place a cannabis policy. They just can't tell their client what isn't covered.
The Spire approach
Spire was structured from day one as a specialty broker. We're a third-generation independent insurance agency built on Top O' Michigan Insurance Solutions — a 50-year-old family business — but the Spire side of the house exists specifically to serve industries underserved by mainstream carriers:
- Cannabis and hemp
- Pet care (veterinarians, groomers, boarding)
- Self-storage and warehousing
- Food and beverage
The motto for the parent agency — “National Resources, Locally Sourced” — applies to Spire too. We have the carrier relationships and program knowledge of a national specialty broker, with the relationship and accountability of a small-town independent agency that's been in the same family for three generations.
What this means for cannabis operators
If you're a cannabis operator who has been told “we don't write that” by your existing broker, or who has signed a policy you don't fully understand, the value Spire offers is:
- Specialty cannabis carrier access without the cannabis-broker fee structure
- Plain-language coverage explanations — in writing, not in jargon
- Site visits and operational reviews, not just paperwork
- Claim advocacy from a broker who actually understands cultivation, dispensary, and processing operations
Cannabis is still a young legal industry. The insurance carriers, regulators, and policy forms are still maturing along with it. Spire was built to navigate that complexity on behalf of operators rather than against them.
Contact a Spire agent if you'd like a second opinion on your existing cannabis coverage.
All coverage is subject to underwriting. No coverage is bound or altered until confirmed by an authorized Spire representative.
