MICHIGAN—Eight years ago, Michigan voters legalized weed.
This year, they’ll decide what happens to it next.
The price of your next bag, whether your local dispensary can stay open, who regulates the industry, and other key issues all hinge on who wins the midterm elections on Nov. 3.
That includes the governor’s race, all 148 seats in the state Legislature, and a handful of local ballot questions that could open, cap, or close dispensaries in several towns across Michigan.
Good news: If you’re already registered, you can vote without talking to a single human being.
Here’s how to do it, and what’s at stake for Michigan stoners in this year’s election:
How to vote (with minimal human contact)
Check your registration. It takes about 30 seconds at michigan.gov/vote.
Not registered? This year’s deadline to register online or by mail was Oct. 19. But you can still ensure you’re able to cast a ballot this year by visiting your local clerk’s office in person with proof of residency. That registration option stays open until 8 p.m. on Election Day. (Yes, this step requires a human. Sorry.)
Vote from your couch. Michigan doesn’t require an excuse to vote absentee. Request your ballot by 5 p.m. on Oct. 30 (online or by mail) or by 4 p.m. on Nov. 2 (in person). It must be filled out and returned to your local clerk’s office, a drop box, or an early voting site by 8 p.m. on Election Day. At this point, due to potential delays, I wouldn’t try to send it back in the mail.
Vote early. Every registered voter can vote early for any reason, starting Oct. 24 and running through Nov. 1. The lines at these voting sites tend to be a bit shorter than on Election Day.
Vote on Election Day. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 3. Bring a photo ID if you have one. If you don’t or if you forget to bring one, you can sign an affidavit and still vote.
Who picks your weed cops?
The governor does more than sign or veto weed bills. The top job at the state’s Cannabis Regulatory Agency is filled by an executive director who is directly appointed by the governor. And that agency oversees licenses, inspections, recalls, and fines for the whole industry.
Republican John James is the only gubernatorial candidate making promises on weed. He has pledged to “repeal or sharply reduce” Michigan’s new 24% wholesale marijuana tax, and argues it drives up prices, gives illegal operators an edge, and has fallen short of revenue projections.
The industry has noticed. A fundraiser organized by executives at Jars Cannabis brought in $90,000 for his campaign, and the Michigan Cannabis Industry Association endorsed him.
But his record tells a different story.
Back in 2018, James opposed efforts to legalize weed in Michigan, and his official NORML grade is a D-.
And it’s worth noting: The wholesale tax money James wants to cut goes mostly toward road and bridge repairs—and his campaign still hasn’t said how it would replace the lost revenue.
Since announcing his run for governor, James has also missed about 10% of his votes in Congress. And some Democrats think his latest pledge to repeal the tax is a hollow one.
State Sen. Jeff Irwin has questioned which of James’ commitments he’d keep, noting that the candidate has made similar campaign promises to road builders, local governments, and police groups.
On the other side of the aisle, Democrat Jocelyn Benson hasn’t made any promises.
She called the wholesale tax a “new and emerging issue” and said more data is needed on where the money goes and how it has affected the industry. It’s also worth knowing that her running mate, state Sen. Winnie Brinks, supported the wholesale tax in the Legislature.
Neither candidate is a perfect fit for stoners. Benson also declined to take a stance on the proposal to legalize weed in 2018. But at the end of the day, it seems the candidate with no position is a safer bet than one who never wanted cannabis legalized in the first place.
Michigan’s top cop
This year’s attorney general race is a matchup between two county prosecutors: Democrat Eli Savit in Washtenaw County and Republican Doug Lloyd in Eaton County.
And weed has become part of the fight.
After taking office in 2021, Savit told his office to stop charging people for cannabis use, possession, or small-scale distribution, regardless of quantity—arguing that having too much weed is no more criminal than having too much wine. Lloyd has criticized the approach.
In practice, though, the two offices aren’t that far apart. According to case data obtained by the Detroit Free Press, neither county charged anyone with possessing or using marijuana in 2025.
In other words, this fight is more about messaging than marijuana.
Lansing’s gatekeepers
Democrats hold a 20-18 majority in the state Senate, Republicans hold a 58-52 edge in the House, and every seat in both chambers is on the ballot this year. So, things can change—and several of these seats were decided by fewer than 1,000 votes in the last election.
These lawmakers decide which weed-related bills get hearings and which ones quietly die.
For example: Legislation has been introduced to reverse the state’s controversial wholesale tax. Another bill could cut the number of plants caregivers can grow for patients, from 12 to six. And after Madison Heights required a dispensary to install a Flock license plate camera in its parking lot, one lawmaker introduced a bill to limit how that camera data can be used statewide.
None of those bills have cleared both chambers. The next Legislature will decide what happens to them. And it doesn’t matter who the governor is if a bill never reaches their desk.
Congress still calls the shots
Michigan has an open US Senate seat this year. The nominees are Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers.
Weed hasn’t come up much on the campaign trail, but their records aren’t hard to find.
El-Sayed publicly backed Michigan’s cannabis legalization proposal and promised to pardon nonviolent marijuana convictions during his 2018 run for governor.
Rogers has a different track record.
In 2014, while representing Michigan in Congress, he voted against a measure to block federal agents from going after medical marijuana patients in states where it was legal, including Michigan. And in 2024, he said medical marijuana has “some benefits,” but warned that “a more permissive culture of drug use has serious consequences.”
That matters more than you’d think. Weed is still illegal at the federal level—and that’s exactly why a federal appeals court wiped out a $32 million verdict for a Michigan grower that a jury found was stiffed by its buyer. Congress is the only body that can fix that.
Pot shops on the ballot
Some of the most direct weed votes this year are happening on the local level.
- Bad Axe: A resident-led petition aims to repeal the city’s 2019 ban on marijuana businesses and allow up to two dispensaries within the city limits.
- Menominee: Voters will decide whether to allow four more dispensaries to operate in the city, raising the city’s dispensary licensing cap from nine to 13.
- City of Niles: This measure would cap retailers at five, the number currently operating.
- Niles Township: This voter-led petition aims to allow up to four dispensaries in the township, less than a year after residents voted to ban weed businesses altogether.
- Big Prairie Township: Voters will decide whether to allow one licensed consumption lounge, where cannabis can be used (but not purchased) on-site.
- Mottville Township: A proposed ordinance would ban marijuana businesses, including the two dispensaries already open. It took only 10 signatures to get it on the ballot.
Check your sample ballot at michigan.gov/vote to find other local proposals.
The bottom line
Most of us don’t think about politics when we’re shopping at the dispensary. But the price on the label, the store you bought it from, and the agency that regulates it all trace back to an election.
This one is on Nov. 3. Roll one up, fill out your ballot, and drop it off before 8 p.m.
READ MORE: 7 quick hits of cannabis news from across Michigan
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