MICHIGAN—The plants are growing, the prices are dropping, and the politics are heating up.
Here’s what’s new in Michigan’s weed scene:
SPIT TAKE: Michigan lawmakers are one step closer to letting cops swab your mouth for weed. Two bills to legalize roadside saliva testing for THC have cleared the state House and are now en route to a legislative committee for further review. Opponents say the swab tests are junk science that don’t accurately measure impairment and could lead to bogus arrests for stoners.
HIGHER OFFICE: Michigan cannabis activist Chuck Ream, who is known for his decades of activism in the marijuana movement in Ann Arbor and as regular speaker at the annual Hash Bash, is running for City Council to stop “complete developer takeover,” MLive reports.
CROSS-BORDER CHRONIC: House of Dank opened a dispensary in New Buffalo this month, joining an ever-growing raft of Michigan cannabis companies that are counting on Chicagoland road-trippers to drive new revenue. Locals are welcome too, of course—if they can find parking.
HEMP BAN BOOST: Congress is moving toward a federal ban on intoxicating hemp products—like Delta-8—which have been cutting into Michigan dispensary sales for years. If passed, the ban would shut down a key source of unregulated competition, potentially shifting millions back into the licensed marijuana market, according to Crain’s Detroit Business.
BUBBLE BURSTING: Union leaders expect small, mom-and-pop dispensaries are going to have trouble surviving Michigan’s brutally over-saturated cannabis market in the months ahead.
READ MORE: 6 quick hits of cannabis news from across Michigan
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