MICHIGAN — Bad news for Lansing cannabis workers, complicated news for gun-owning pot smokers, and good news for Ann Arbor stoners who also happen to be into shrooms.
Here’s your week in Michigan weed:
LIGHTS OUT: Ascend Wellness Holdings is closing down its cannabis cultivation facility in Lansing and laying off 95 workers. Laid-off employees have cited a competitive market for recreational weed and a recent fire that left the facility in need of costly renovations.
PRICE CHECK: Michigan weed prices have leveled out after three months of steady price increases following the implementation of the state’s new wholesale cannabis tax in January. The average price of an ounce was $59 in April, down slightly from $62 in March.
ARMED AND MEDICATED: A recently proposed federal change could allow some of Michigan’s 55,000 medical marijuana patients to legally own guns for the first time in decades. A US Supreme Court ruling on the underlying federal ban is expected this summer, MLive reports.
YOUNG AND HIGH: Cannabis use among Michigan teenagers is reportedly on the rise, particularly among those aged 15 to 25, according to the Mental Health Association in Michigan.
BIG BROTHER: Michigan’s Cannabis Regulatory Agency hit at least 39 cannabis companies with disciplinary actions last month, citing violations that ranged from basic inventory tracking failures and improper sales to more serious security lapses and packaging violations.
SMOKE SIGNAL: A former fire station in Pinckney is being converted into a High Profile dispensary after the village planning commission approved the final site plan this month.
GOOD NEIGHBORS: A new dispensary called Blue Sky Cannabis Co. is now open in downtown Ann Arbor next to Spores Cafe, a popular mushroom cafe. The soft opening was on May 6. No word yet on whether they’re planning the coolest joint happy hour in the city.
ICYMI: If you missed last week’s newsletter, I went inside Society C’s Lake Orion facility to find out how a team of former medical marijuana caregivers—including Eminem’s half brother—is still standing when bigger operations have already left the state. Read the full story here.
READ MORE: Two best friends bought a cannabis farm and the weed is out of this world
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