The first marijuana seeds were planted for his personal use in 2009. Back then, Ben Kolasa didn’t know what he was doing. A little more than a decade later, through countless trials and errors, the 33-year-old is opening Sticky Bush Farms, his own recreational marijuana business in Presque Isle County’s Onaway, about 45 minutes from Mackinaw […]
Michigan
Ohio medical marijuana users find bargains in Michigan
Ohio’s medical marijuana patients have found a cheap place to buy medicinal cannabis: Michigan. Ohio marijuana card holders have repeatedly told The Dispatch, both on the record and in private, that they travel to dispensaries north of the state line to save money. Patients consistently list price as one of the biggest obstacles to buying the drug […]
Why Michigan’s Recreational Marijuana Industry Isn’t Helping Those Harmed by Drug Policies
Michigan is still grappling with how to implement its new legal recreational marijuana market. And it turns out during the pandemic, the market is booming. As Michigan’s recreational marijuana market expands, many communities are trying to build social equity measures into their licensing process. The goal is to give people who have been disproportionately affected by harmful anti-drug […]
Michigan marijuana companies targeted in class-action lawsuits claiming telemarketing violations
Florida attorney Andrew J. Shamis, who’s developed a cottage industry suing companies over use of unsolicited telemarketing, has set his sites on marijuana companies in Michigan. Shamis with his Miami-based law firm, Shamis & Gentile, has sued at least three Michigan marijuana companies in federal court this year, including MichiCann Medical, which operates as 420 […]
More recreational marijuana options could come to Michigan this fall
An influx of new recreational marijuana businesses could be coming to Michigan some time after Nov. 1. If that happens, marijuana customers may see lower prices and a greater selection of recreational marijuana. It could also push medical marijuana shoppers, who play an increasingly smaller roll in the Michigan marijuana universe, further to the side. […]
Detroit Could Extend Recreational Marijuana Ban Through Next Year
When Detroit City Councilmember James Tate led the push to temporarily ban recreational marijuana sales in the city last year, he said he wanted to ensure marijuana legalization would benefit the people who’d been hurt by prohibition. Detroit’s majority-Black residents have historically been dealt harsher punishments for marijuana crimes than their white suburban counterparts, and […]
Michigan marijuana industry licensed to grow over 500,000 plants
A rapidly growing number of marijuana plants are reaching toward high-wattage grow lights across Michigan. This has resulted in slowly decreasing retail prices for both medical and recreational marijuana. The price reductions come following a spike after the opening of the first recreational marijuana shops in December. Nearly 8,600 pounds were sold between the two […]
Michigan marijuana industry changed, but thriving amid coronavirus pandemic
You can’t currently walk into a Michigan marijuana shop and peruse the shelves, but that hasn’t stopped product from flying off them. Close to $1 million a day in marijuana flower, vaping oil and edibles is still being sold, despite coronavirus restrictions that limit sales to curbside pickup and delivery. With approximately $27 million in […]
A prior marijuana conviction could be a good thing for owners of Michigan pot businesses
A previous marijuana-related conviction could help entrepreneurs hoping to open a recreational marijuana business in Michigan. Michigan officials are trying to attract a wider variety of businesses to the booming recreational marijuana industry, not just those with deep pockets. The Marijuana Regulatory Agency, a subdivision of the state Licensing and Regulatory Affairs Administration that regulates […]
COVID-19 fails to stop Michigan pot industry as sales explode during pandemic
At least one industry in Michigan has largely been left unscathed by the coronavirus pandemic. Recreational marijuana operations have mushroomed, while weekly sales of recreational marijuana in Michigan from March 9 onward have risen significantly. Recreational pot sales in the nine weeks since March 9 now make up roughly 60% of the state’s overall sales since […]
