6 Quick Hits of Cannabis News From Across Michigan

MICHIGAN—There’s never a shortage of cannabis-related news in Michigan as the state inches closer to becoming the nation’s weed capital. Here’s a quick round up of canna-news making headlines this week.

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POT SHOPS GET CREATIVE: Michiganders buy less weed during winter, which has retailers using some unusual promotions to drive sales, reports Bridge Michigan. Lume Cannabis is offering a free night of skiing at Mount Bohemia in the Keweenaw Peninsula for customers who spend $50. Until April 15, customers at Golden Greens in Lawrence can buy a bag of weed for a penny with any purchase as a result of a deal between the dispensary and nearby 305 Brands. And Cloud Cannabis is offering its customers a chance to drive off in a new Ford Bronco. 

BLACK MARKET CRACKDOWN: Last month, officials at the Michigan Cannabis Regulatory Agency told us they were  ramping up enforcement on unlicensed marijuana sales. And this month, they’ve kept their word. State police recently busted a major illegal grow operation in Ogemaw County, making multiple arrests and seizing more than 5,400 pot plants, reports Fox 2 Detroit.

CITIES STILL SNUB POT: Although Michiganders voted to legalize recreational marijuana in 2018, most local communities have decided to sit on the sidelines of the multi-billion-dollar industry. By the end of last year, 1,378 municipalities had prohibited permits for adult-use cannabis sales, compared to 129 that allowed them, Bridge Michigan reports. 

HOOSIERS WANT TO GET HIGH: Unlike Michiganders, our neighbors to the south do not enjoy the luxury (and economic boost) of legal marijuana. But that’s not stopping them from driving across state lines to stock up. Mike Noonan, the owner of Southland Farms in Niles, estimates that about 40% of his customers live in Indiana, reports Indiana Public Media.

BLACK-OWNED POT SHOPS: For Black History Month, the Lansing City Pulse featured several Black-owned cannabis companies in Michigan. The fight for social equity in the industry is an uphill battle, so consider showing these folks some extra love—and not just in February.

LARGEST POT SHOP OPENING IN BATTLE CREEK: A former Don Pablo’s Mexican restaurant in Battle Creek that’s been vacant for nine years will soon be reborn as Michigan’s largest cannabis dispensary, reports MLive. Pure Roots plans to open the 8,000-square-foot dispensary on the outskirts of the Lakeview Square Mall later this year. 

This information originally appeared in The MichiGanja Report, a free newsletter from The ‘Gander about all things cannabis, written by ‘Gander Editor Kyle Kaminski. Click here to subscribe, and we’ll send the next edition straight to your inbox.

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