Michigan marijuana

Michigan marijuana activists hope President Joe Biden’s pardons will lead to more drug reform in Michigan and other states. The drug is still listed as a Schedule 1 narcotic.

The cannabis industry has seen sales climb and prices drop almost every month since legalization. That’s good news for an ever-growing number of customers, but making the business “a grind.”

Universities are rushing to create workers for Michigan’s booming cannabis industry. That can get tricky because federal law prevents students from actually touching marijuana.

A proliferation of large farms means the retail price for marijuana is lower than it was even decades ago, when the drug was illegal.

So many cities have opted out of pot that small towns are key to growth of the industry. That’s caused some heartburn in Lawrence in Van Buren County, but the revenue and jobs are tough to pass up.

Caregivers provide a niche service by growing and producing difficult-to-source cannabis products and offering them to patients at affordable rates. Caregivers could be squeezed out of business under a new bill.

New study shows that the marijuana marketplace “has unlimited economic potential for Michigan,” according to the trade group representing the regulated providers. They’re trying to ‘rein in’ illicit sales.

A proposed bill at the federal level would allow banking institutions to accept funds from cannabis-related businesses. So far, it has bipartisan support, and stakeholders say the legislation would create greater access to the industry for budding Detroit entrepreneurs.

Town managers say the businesses are poised to boost strained budgets. And school and law enforcement officials contend there is little evidence to date the marijuana economy is bringing more crime or drug abuse to main street.

Just one year after taking effect, it’s estimated Michigan’s adult-use cannabis market once fully matured will generate $3 billion in retail sales and create about 24,000 total jobs annually.

A debate over marijuana industry rules made unlikely bedfellows of the state’s new marijuana industry and conservative politicians and business groups that had opposed recreational pot.

Once a frontier town dominated by agriculture, Morenci now finds itself on a new frontier, with the scent of pot wafting through its streets. Despite reluctance from “conservative farm folks,” most support the financial boost the industry has brought.

More than a year after Pontiac voters approved medical marijuana businesses, investors are still waiting as politicians squabble. The delays could be a cautionary tale as retail recreational pot becomes legal in Michigan on Dec. 1.

Recreational marijuana sales are set to begin on Dec. 1, but shortages and few licensed shops mean options will be limited.

A supply shortage and regulatory hurdles means recreational pot sales aren’t likely until February or March. And two-thirds of all Michigan municipalities have already passed rules saying ‘not in our town.’

Fourteen towns heavily burdened by marijuana convictions voted to legalize recreational pot last year. But city officials put the brakes on opening a marijuana business, at least for now.

Shutting out the legal adult-use cannabis industry only drives revenue, talent and opportunity out of the state. The jobs associated with the cannabis industry will certainly still exist; they just won’t exist in Michigan if local bans persist.

The package would make hundreds of thousands more Michiganders eligible to set aside criminal records. Some Democrats question why they don’t automatically set aside lesser pot convictions, rather than requiring people to petition a court.

Under the legislation, all cannabis would need to be packaged with a warning against use during pregnancy.

The state’s marijuana regulatory industry announced rules to give license discounts for qualified residents in cities that were most heavily targeted for pot crimes. An industry official said the rules are well-meaning, but she doubts their impact.