California brand brings West Coast vibes to Michigan’s weed scene

A California-based cannabis company is on the rebound after state regulators recently suspended—and then reinstated—its license to do business in Michigan. 

MICHIGAN—Muhammad “Muha” Garawi said that marijuana has a unique ability to bring people together and “promote peace and love.” And while he’s the co-founder of a multi-million-dollar, multi-state cannabis brand, he said he’s doing more than just selling weed.

“It’s part of being in a club, in a movement, and just kind of experiencing that culture through our product,” Garawi said. “We love the culture here in Michigan, the hospitality you get here, and we really wanted to bring our LA culture—that LA lifestyle and our products—to this market.”

Garawi and his older brother co-founded the Muha Meds brand in California in 2018 during what he described as a “gray area” for legal cannabis sales. They transitioned to the legal market in 2019. And two years later, Muha Meds expanded to newly legalized frontiers in Michigan.

Today, Muha Meds employs 300 people with a wide array of products—including edibles, vape pens, and concentrates—on the shelves at 150 pot shops across Michigan, Garawi said. 

Although the Michigan Cannabis Regulatory Agency suspended Muha Meds’ license to do business last year for a variety of health and safety issues, Garawi said his cannabis brand has since remedied any lingering concerns and is now eager to keep growing (literally) in Michigan.

“We pride ourselves in bringing the best product at the best price with the best quality to the consumers and we’re proud to be able to bring that LA culture to Michigan,” Garawi said. “Apart from the hurdles we’ve gone through recently, we are really happy with our progress here and our growth here, and we’re really hopeful for the future and what it has to hold in Michigan.”

According to a bulletin issued last year, Michigan regulators temporarily suspended Muha Meds’ state processing licenses after they discovered that various products—like vape cartridges, infused pre-rolled joints and gummies—from its facility in Pinconning couldn’t be traced back to regulated packages of marijuana flower and concentrate that were used to produce them. 

That license has since been reinstated by an administrative law judge after the company reportedly “worked tirelessly with the Cannabis Regulatory Agency to fix any concerns.” 

And now, Garawi said Muha Meds is back to focusing on the main reason they decided to expand from California to Michigan: “Just having a state-of-the-art product for the best price.”

“Our biggest advantage that we have in the market in both markets, California and Michigan, is that we do everything in-house,” Garawi said. “We don’t have manufacturers that make our stuff. We have full control of our manufacturing and distribution, so we’re able to keep the costs low.”

According to a press release, Muha Meds decided to expand to Michigan, in part, because of its “business-friendly tax policies.” Since then, Garawi said the company has been able to stand out in an increasingly crowded market by developing into an “upscale modern lifestyle brand” that merges cannabis—predominately vapes—with art, music, and fashion.

“In the past couple of years, the market has gotten really saturated,” Garawi explained. “Some manufacturers have made it their priority to make the cheapest product without really attaching a purpose or a brand to it that could give it more value. And that’s what we’ve been able to do.”

Since returning to the Michigan market this year, Muha Meds has kept pot shops across the state stocked with a wide array of edibles, concentrates and vape cartridges—including a new line of 2-gram disposable vape pens for an ultra-convenient (and discreet) cannabis experience.

Click here to find Muha Meds products at a dispensary near you. 

READ MORE: Nine quick hits of cannabis news from across Michigan

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