The polls are closed. Thousands of you told me who’s growing the best weed in Michigan, and the full results are finally here. A few of the winners might surprise you. Most of them won’t.

Plus, gas station weed is running out of time, a Michigan grower is still fighting to get the money it’s owed, two towns are voting on pot shops, and Lume is giving away free weed for a year.

Roll one up and see who made the cut.

Michigan stoners have spoken—and they had plenty of opinions. 

After tallying thousands of votes, we’ve got your picks for the growers putting out the best weed in the state right now. And nearly all of the winners have something in common.

HEMP CHECK: The federal crackdown on intoxicating hemp products is set to take effect in December, and some retailers have already pulled hemp products from their shelves entirely. The new rules will reportedly close a loophole that lets unlicensed stores (like gas stations) sell untested, hemp-based products that get people just as high as anything from the dispensary.

PAPER CHASE: Hello Farms is asking a federal appeals court to reconsider last month’s ruling that wiped out its $32 million jury verdict against two Curaleaf subsidiaries, which reportedly stopped accepting the Michigan grower’s harvests when prices crashed. The 6th Circuit Court ruled that federal courts can’t enforce weed contracts because weed is still federally illegal. In its filing, Hello Farms warned the ruling could create “unimaginable instability” for businesses.

LAST CALL: Voters in Mottville Township will decide on Nov. 3 whether to ban dispensaries, which would shut down both of the township’s pot shops less than a year after they opened. The ballot measure needed only 10 signatures, and it could put at least 30 people out of a job.

AXE THE BAN: Voters in Bad Axe will decide in November whether to repeal a city ordinance that bans dispensaries. If it passes, the Thumb could be getting a couple more pot shops.

SLOW NEWS WEEK: Ludington cops issued a press release to announce they confiscated a vape pen from a high school student, and the Ludington Daily News turned it into a headline.

ICYMI: If you missed last week’s newsletter, I finally tracked down the people behind Zasso. It’s a five-person crew of former caregivers who are selling some seriously good weed for only about $100 an ounce. They’re also really, really good at growing Runtz. Maybe a little too good.

Last week, I asked how many strains you’ve got in your stash right now.

The most popular answer—by a landslide—was seven or more. 

Four to six took second place.

I was shocked to see that so many of you have created your own personal strain library. Then again, this is Michigan. Weed here is cheap enough to collect like baseball cards. For the record, I counted nine strains on my kitchen counter. Apparently, that just makes me normal.

This week, it’s confession time. 

What’s the most you’ve ever spent on a single dispensary trip?

Your secret is safe with me. I’ll have the results next week.

Some strains win on flavor. Others win on potency. This one won a beauty pageant.

Perm Sherb from Tip Top Crop took first place for Best Looking Flower in the People’s Choice category at Zalympix 2026—a competition I’ve plugged here before and have helped judge in the past. Take one look at the photo, and it’s not hard to see why it won the blue ribbon.

The strain is a cross of Permanent Marker and Sherbert, and it’s a Tip Top Crop exclusive. The company hosted a tasting event with industry experts to help pick which plant was worth keeping, which is way more effort than most brands put into a strain before they slap it in a jar.

According to Tip Top Crop, the nose smells like a freshly uncapped marker with a sweet undertone to help round off the sharper edges. They also bill it as “potent and sedative.”

Find it at dispensaries like High Profile, Information Entropy, Quality Roots, and Urb.

Every dispensary in the state has some kind of fall promotion.

Not many of them come with a year of free weed.

Lume is running a “Fall Fest Giveaway” at dozens of dispensaries statewide through Nov. 1. Just spend $75 or more and you’ll be entered to win free cannabis for an entire year. Plus, that same $75 also gets you a shot at four tickets to the Packers vs. Vikings game on Nov. 15.

Other, smaller prizes will be given away throughout the month, and staff will have freebies waiting at the counter. As usual, be sure to check the official rules for all the finer details.

And if you win, just remember that I was the one who sent you.

Halloween is still a few weeks away, but you’d never know it from my living room.

Every shelf, end table, and windowsill in my house is now fully covered in some kind of spooky decor—like this pirate pumpkin, seen here guarding a pre-roll from 710 Labs. 

The strain is Britney’s Frozen Lemons, one of my wife’s all-time favorites.

If you like lemon terpenes, stop reading and go find this one. It tastes like somebody soaked the flower in lemon juice before they rolled it. It’s tart, sweet, and loud from the first pull to the last.

I’m not sure I’ve ever smoked a joint with more raw flavor.

There’s a reason 710 Labs showed up on our list of Michigan’s best flower brands. This is truly top-shelf weed from a top-shelf company. And as I mentioned last week, every one of their pre-rolls is still built around a literal rotini noodle for a filter tip. It’s goofy. It’s fun. And it’s apparently contagious; I’ve started rolling my own joints at home the same way.

Before anyone emails me: Yes, the noodles are gluten-free. I asked.

Arrr.

Stay safe out there ‘Ganders. Remember that recreational cannabis is only legal in Michigan for ages 21 and up—and it’s NEVER OK to get high and drive.