Fellow Michigander,

Welcome back to your weekly field guide to the Great Lakes weed life. This week, we’ve got a fat stash of marijuana-related headlines from across the state, a closer look at a new cannabis-infused lemonade, and a dispensary that wants to pay your bills. But first, let me tell you all about why I stopped giving a sh*t about the THC percentage labels on my weed.

THC percentages are the biggest scam at the dispensary. 

Most Michigan stoners have been trained to chase the highest THC percentages on the label. But that number doesn’t actually tell you how the weed will hit. The real secret? Terpenes. This week’s top story breaks it all down. And it might just change how you shop for your next stash.

HELP WANTED: Cannabis regulators are reportedly begging lawmakers for backup, saying they need more power to crack down on black-market sales, shady lab results, and hemp loopholes that allow gas stations to sling products with way more THC than legal dispensaries.

BUSTED IN THE BURBS: Four Oakland County cannabis companies reportedly got slapped with fines over regulatory issues. Moses Roses took a $2,000 hit over a trademark paperwork snafu its owner called a “nothing burger.” Aries Analytic and Steadfast both botched testing rules, while Society C got dinged for sketchy waste disposal and unregistered equipment.

DUFFEL BAG DEAL: State regulators say a Battle Creek dispensary sold pounds of weed off the books to an out-of-state buyer. The case stems from a traffic stop near Warren Dunes, where cops seized more than 7 pounds of flower and 16 ounces of concentrate—about 45 times Michigan’s legal possession limit. Most of it allegedly came from Fire Creek, where video allegedly shows a customer wheeling out 200 packages of product in an unmarked duffel bag.

GRAMMYS OF GANJA: Michigan’s fourth-annual Zalympix competition just wrapped, with Hytek, Rkive, and Growing Pains taking home the top awards in what’s been dubbed the “Grammys of Michigan weed.” The sold-out contest lets everyday stoners judge hundreds of strains, capped off with a big party in Pontiac where the most popular products are announced.

BASEMENT BUST: A 19-year-old man from Clarkston is facing felony charges after allegedly selling weed and vape products to a 12-year-old child outside an elementary school. Deputies say they found thousands of dollars in cash, marijuana, and vapes in his grandparents’ basement, where he lives. A judge will decide whether the case moves forward next month.

FLOWER FLOOD: Michigan’s monthly weed sales peaked in August at $283 million—even as prices sank to another record low ($61.79 an ounce). Demand is still strong, but oversupply is reportedly drowning the market, with two pounds of marijuana produced for every pound sold.

WEED TAX: Senate Democrats are reportedly lining up behind Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s plan to nearly double cannabis taxes in Michigan with a new 32% wholesale excise tax. Whitmer says it’ll raise nearly $500 million to help “fix the damn roads.” But industry insiders say it’ll crush businesses and unfairly target consumers who already pay way more tax on weed than booze.

Sometimes cannabis drinks overpromise and underdeliver. 

Best Dirty Lemonade isn’t one of them. 

This Black-owned Michigan brand is turning heads with bold flavors, real potency, and a backstory rooted in family and healing. I caught up with them at the Flower Expo in Detroit—and trust me, these lemonades don’t taste like weed, but they’ll absolutely get the job done.

Got a Michigan cannabis product worth reviewing? Let me know and I’ll check it out.

Not that I ever really need one, but High Society in Mount Pleasant just gave me yet another excuse to take a road trip back up to my old college town this fall. (Fire up Chips.)

This month, the dispensary is rolling out fresh deli flower—meaning you can get up close and personal with your weed instead of just grabbing random pre-packaged ounces off the shelf. Their first drop comes from Algonquin Technologies, with more brands set to rotate in soon. 

And if edibles are more your lane, High Society also just stocked up on Barracuda chocolate bars. With flavors like Hazelnut Crunch and Dubai Chocolate, these are definitely a step up from the mystery brownies I was eating during my time in the dorm rooms. For me, it’s totally worth the drive up from Lansing to stock up, grab a bite in town, and take a little nostalgia tour.

Bowdega in Utica is doing more than selling weed this fall. They’re paying your bills.

Through the end of the year, every shopper—even if they don’t buy anything—can enter weekly drawings for a shot at prepaid gift cards. At least $2,000 will be given away every week. And winners will score cards worth $50, $100, or $200 that can be used toward everyday expenses.

It’s part of Bowdega’s new “Bowdega Pays Your Bills” campaign, another way the shop and its attached lounge Burn1 are trying to become something more than just another dispensary. And if you missed my story about how Bowdega and Burn1 have turned Utica into a full-on stoner rest stop—conveniently right next to a Dave & Buster’s—you can catch up right here. 

Sometimes the joint doesn’t matter—because the backdrop steals the show. 

On a recent trip out west, I sparked up this blurry, unnamed pre-roll somewhere along the coast between San Francisco and Big Sur. The pine-covered hills and cliffs dropped into endless blue, the highway curled like a ribbon, and it felt like one of the prettiest smoking spots on earth.

But here’s the truth: California weed doesn’t hold a candle to what we’ve got at home. I sampled a dozen different brands during the trip, and Michigan still came out on top. Our growers have evolved faster, our joints smoke smoother, and right now, I’d argue we’re producing the best weed in the nation. The views might belong to California, but the bud still belongs to Michigan.

Got your own MichiGanja in the Wild moment to share? Send in your best Michigan-made cannabis product pics out in the world for a chance to be featured in next week’s edition. 

Do you or your company want to support The MichiGanja Report’s mission and showcase your products or services to an engaged audience of more than 15,000 cannabis enthusiasts at the same time? Contact advertise@couriernewsroom.com for more information.

Stay safe out there ‘Ganders. Recreational cannabis is only for use by individuals 21 years of age or older. Keep out of reach of children. It is illegal to drive a motor vehicle under the influence of marijuana. Contact the National Poison Control Center at 1-800-222-1222.