5 quick hits of cannabis news from across Michigan

Here’s your weekly rundown from The MichiGanja Report.

August 4, 2026

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MICHIGAN—Too much surveillance in one town, not nearly enough in another. Plus, a trial over a black market hash oil lab in Coldwater and one very bad night on the road in Calhoun County.

Not a lot of good news this week from Michigan’s weed world.

Here’s your rundown:

FLOCK OFF: After a Flock license plate reader turned up near a JARS dispensary in Madison Heights, staff there reportedly planted a sign reading “No Flock Zone” directly in front of the camera to block its view. Officials at JARS didn’t return an email seeking more information.

BLIND SPOT: State regulators fined Mint Cannabis in Coldwater $8,000 after they discovered the store’s surveillance system was offline for 34 days. The company blamed a technical malfunction and has since implemented new procedures to prevent future recording failures.

SHAKE DOWN: A Coldwater Township man will reportedly stand trial after a May raid at his home allegedly turned up more than 500 pounds of marijuana shake and trim, plus 14 mason jars of high-potency wax from what police have described as a black market butane hash oil lab.

BAD NIGHT: State police say a 14-year-old from Battle Creek ran a red light in Calhoun County, striking a Kia Soul and leaving its 42-year-old driver with critical head injuries. Authorities don’t believe alcohol was involved, but they do suspect the kid was high on marijuana while driving. Let that be a reminder: Always keep your weed locked up and out of reach of the children in your house—and never operate a motor vehicle while under the influence of cannabis.

ICYMI: If you missed last week’s newsletter, I drove 40 minutes from Lansing to Owosso to track down Toad Venom—the Seed Junky strain that Michigan stoners won’t stop talking about this summer. It smelled like a rotting apple orchard and tasted like key lime pie.

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