I’ve spent the better part of seven years and an absurd amount of money learning how to shop for weed in Michigan. This week, I’m sharing everything I’ve learned with my 10 biggest tips  for finding the best weed at the best price, no matter which dispensary you visit. 

Keep scrolling for the full rundown. Plus, a famous Michigan pickle family is giving back to help weed prisoners, the best first-timer deal in the state is at a store that might not survive the summer, and half the country’s employers are giving up on testing their staff for weed.

Spark one up and let’s get into it. 

I’ve been buying weed in Michigan since the day it was legalized in 2019. At least 100 dispensaries and several thousand dollars later, I’ve picked up a few rules for shopping smarter. 

Most of them I learned the hard way, one disappointing eighth at a time. So this week, I put the 10 most useful tips in writing—including how to spot fresh flower, why the THC number is misleading, when to skip the cheap stuff, and the trick to getting free weed just for asking.

HELP WANTED: Nearly half of employers have stopped screening new hires for weed, according to a Wall Street Journal survey of around 1,000 companies. The consensus: Employers want more applicants. And they say a urine test—which can flag THC weeks after a joint—is an inaccurate measure of whether an employee is actually impaired on the clock.

CROSS-COUNTRY: A cannabis company in southwest Michigan is handing over its state license for good after regulators alleged it moved Michigan weed products across state lines to Massachusetts—which is strictly prohibited under federal law, regardless of laws in each state.

EQUITY SHIFT: The city of Kalamazoo is looking to broaden how it spends its cut of Michigan’s cannabis tax money—namely by rewriting its social equity policy to help more cannabis entrepreneurs access capital, buy their own property, and build generational wealth. 

CAPPED OFF: A judge upheld a cap on the number of dispensaries allowed in the city of Menominee, dismissing Puff Cannabis’ attempt to force its way into the market as the ninth. Puff argued that it was entitled to the final license. The judge didn’t buy it. Puff can still appeal.

BORDER BLUES: A budtender who lives in Indiana and works in Michigan is facing criminal charges after she was allegedly caught bringing six grams of weed back home from her job.

ICYMI: If you missed last week’s newsletter, I reviewed some weed from Dank & Disorderly—a Michigan brand that packs its half-ounces in cartoonish boxes with collectible trading cards tucked inside. The branding is a shameless gimmick. But the flower turned out to be no joke.

Last week, I asked you to settle the debate over the ultimate stoner snack.

Chips won by a landslide, candy came in second, and cereal landed in third place. A few folks voted for fruit. Exactly one person out there is reaching for jerky. And pickles? Not a single vote. Let that be a warning to any companies currently workshopping a pickle-flavored edible.

This week, I want to hear from our more seasoned stoners. 

I’ve spent a lot of time in this newsletter preaching that terpenes—not THC percentages—are what actually make good weed. So, I want to know if you’ve got a favorite.

Which terpene are you chasing?

Cast your vote. I’ll break down the results next week. 

Every Michigander knows the Vlasic name from the pickle jar. Fewer know that Willy Vlasic—the great-grandson of the man who built that empire—has spent the last decade putting the family name on cannabis instead. And earlier this month, his company gave back in a major way.

The third annual Michigan Vlasic Classic, a charity golf tournament thrown by Vlasic Labs, raised $20,000 for groups working to help nonviolent cannabis prisoners. That includes the Forgotten Prisoner Foundation, Freedom Grow, and the Great Lakes Expungement Network. 

I wrote about Vlasic a while back—how a pickle heir ended up growing weed, and the one rule his grandfather gave him before signing off.

In this case, I think grandpa would’ve approved. 

New Buffalo’s whole weed economy runs on one thing: Chicagoland drivers who’d rather drive to Michigan than pay Illinois prices. And the dispensaries there compete for that traffic hard.

For example: Trap Stars is running what might be the single best first-timer deal in the state right now: 50% off everything on your first visit, minus the deli flower and rosin. I just updated our standing guide to Michigan’s best first-timer discounts to make sure this was included. 

The deal isn’t going anywhere. I can’t say the same about the dispensary. Township officials are actively trying to pull Trap Stars’ license. The store has racked up four regulatory complaints in the last year, and law enforcement has raised questions about their business practices.

Trap Stars denies any wrongdoing. But if you want in on this deal, I would plan your trip soon. 

I’ll be honest: The wildfire smoke almost canceled this section of the newsletter.  But naturally, the first clear evening we got, I went straight outside and made some more smoke of my own.

I spent last weekend at a lakehouse near Mackinaw City with a handful of my oldest college friends, a group of people I’ve somehow managed to hang onto for more than a decade. 

I don’t take that for granted. Sitting around a fire with longtime friends is the best thing summer has to offer, and it seems to get harder to pull off every year as everyone gets busier and busier.

The joint is honestly the least important part of the picture—which is why I can’t tell you for sure whether it was Orangez or Jealousy. Both strains came from MichiGrown. It’s a reliable budget brand ($45 a half-ounce at Herbana) that’s great for rolling up before a weekend trip.

And roll I did. It turns out I can twist up a full ounce in about 30 minutes flat. 

My parents must be proud.

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.