MICHIGAN—Road money is coming up short, cops are pulling pounds of weed off I-94 every month, and the federal hemp ban just got kicked another month down the road.
Apparently it’s infrastructure week for Michigan’s weed world.
Here’s what you might’ve missed:
ROAD KILL: Michigan’s 24% wholesale marijuana tax is still only bringing in a fraction of what state officials projected. The tax generated about $37 million in the second quarter of 2026 and roughly $34 million in the first—against an initial estimate of $105 million per quarter. The money was supposed to fix the roads. At this rate, we’ll still have quite a few potholes left to fill by the end of the tax’s first year in effect.
HEMP LIMBO: The federal ban on hemp THC products that was supposed to take effect on Nov. 12 has been pushed back to Dec. 11 under a bill President Donald Trump signed last week. That means the unregulated stuff sold at the gas station will get another month on the shelf while Congress argues over whether to put some guardrails on those products or ban them outright.
STATE LINES: Indiana cops say they’re confiscating about 30 to 50 pounds of weed every month along the I-94 corridor—and most of it came from a Michigan dispensary. Arrests are down, but one prosecutor says that’s only because more Hoosiers are getting away with it.
BUFFER ZONE: Niles Township officials have recommended a new ordinance that would allow dispensaries in business districts, as long as they’re located at least 1,000 feet from any church. It’s a preemptive move because voters there won’t decide whether to greenlight dispensaries until November; local leaders say they’re just trying to line up some rules before that happens.
PEARL DIVE: Grön, a Portland edibles brand owned by Wyld, announced last week that its bestselling “Pearls” gummies are now being sold in Michigan dispensaries as part of a four-state rollout. They’ve already been confirmed on shelves at Pure Options, High Profile, and Lume.
ICYMI: If you missed last week’s newsletter, I let two Lansing budtenders pick my weed for me and bought whatever they handed over without arguing. It cost about double my usual budget. But neither of them steered me toward junk to protect my wallet, which is the whole argument for actually talking to your budtender instead of just ordering whatever from an online menu.
READ MORE: Who’s actually growing the best weed in Michigan?
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