GENESEE TOWNSHIP -- Several medical marijuana providers in Genesee County have been targeted by criminals.
NBC25 found out how the law is making it hard for police to protect them.
A warning from police to people who supply medical marijuana, thieves may rob your household.
“Well it’s an easy source of revenue, why grow it when you can steal it?” said Lieutenant John Mullaly with Genesee Township Police.
Genesee Township Police say at least four medical marijuana providers have been targeted in the last two months, but police say the law makes it hard to protect them.
“Under the HIPAA laws and under the health act, they are not required to give us any information, they don't register with us, we have no idea where they are at,” said Mullaly.
That means police can't patrol neighborhoods where medical marijuana providers live and look for suspicious activity.
But police believe criminals follow caregivers home from the Genesee County Compassion Club, a place where people go to smoke medical marijuana and to receive information about it.
“If I was to be a betting man, I would think that to be very, very possible,” said Mullaly.
Police say the thieves come at night, and take only marijuana and growing paraphernalia, evidence that can be hard to find.
“Right now it is probably up in smoke,” said Mullaly.
Recent layoffs at the Genesee Township Police Department have also put a strain on solving drug-related crimes.
“I can't dedicate people to enforce medical marijuana laws, but on the other hand I have to enforce marijuana laws for prosecution,” said Mullaly.
Police say so far there are no suspects in the robberies.
Genesee Township police say medical marijuana providers in Flint Township and Mt. Morris Township have also been broken into.
