• Dec. 3 virtual discussion will cover the state of the Michigan marijuana industry, how pot has changed state and communities
  • Participants in the virtual panel include Nathan Joyal, an assistant professor at Northern Michigan University, Jaime Ballew Zerbe of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, and Jamie Lowell, who helped write the ballot proposal that legalized marijuana in Michigan
  • Readers will be able to ask questions of the panelists during the discussion on Zoom

It’s a fraught time for Michigan’s young marijuana industry.

Since Michigan voters legalized the drug in 2018, more than 850 cannabis stores have opened across 75 of the state’s 83 counties, a saturation that has driven down prices enough that at least one major retailer has exited the state. 

Now, some residents are pushing back, with voters in two border towns earlier this month limiting cannabis businesses. The industry also faces a new 24% wholesale tax that some pot proprietors fear could further shrink already thin profit margins, and a push in the Legislature to cap the number of pot shops across the state.

Against that backdrop, Bridge Michigan’s next Lunch Break virtual panel discussion will focus on the state of the marijuana industry in Michigan, how marijuana has changed the state and its communities, and what might be coming in the future. 

The event happens from noon to 1 p.m. Dec. 3. You can register here.

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Panelists include Nathan Joyal, an assistant professor at Northern Michigan University, Jaime Ballew Zerbe of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, and Jamie Lowell, an advocate who helped write the ballot proposal that legalized marijuana in Michigan, and Al Williams, president of the Detroit Cannabis Industry Association.

The panel will be moderated by Bridge Regional Editor Justin A. Hinkley and readers will have the opportunity to ask questions.

Please register for the event via Eventbrite to be sent a calendar invitation, including the Zoom link. 

Participants can ask questions of the panelists via the Zoom chat feature throughout the event or submit a question prior to the event by filling out this form. 

Bridge’s monthly Lunch Break series focuses on timely topics facing our state. Previous events have discussed the ultimate Michigan winter bucket list, Michigan’s education crisis, the collapse of the whitefish population in the lower Great Lakes, Michigan summer tourism, the changing landscape of deer hunting in the state, spending of Michigan’s opioid settlement funds, solutions to gun violence in Michigan, Michigan’s population crisis, youth mental health in Michigan and the legacy of the automotive industry on the state’s environment and economy.

How to join this live Zoom discussion

You will receive details on joining the Zoom discussion after you register with Eventbrite. On the day of the event, we will email you a reminder and link to the Zoom. 

To learn more about how to join a Zoom meeting, watch this short video. Zoom is free to use, and you can use the video call function on your computer, tablet or phone, or you can call into the meeting using the conference line function.

Member support allows us to offer engagement opportunities like this Lunch Break series. To regularly receive advance notification of what our nonprofit newsroom is planning and receive member-exclusive benefits — such as free Bridge event tickets, copies of our bimonthly Bridge Culture Club selections and more — become a Bridge Club member today. 

We look forward to seeing you on Dec. 3.

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