MICHIGAN—The market is melting down. The cops are cracking down. And dispensaries in the Great Lakes State are still on track to beat out California to top the global cannabis sales charts.
Buckle up. Here’s this week’s weed news:
BALDWIN BUST: Authorities say they uncovered a full-blown weed empire in Lake County, seizing more than 13,000 plants and hundreds of pounds of marijuana from an unlicensed, 17,000-square-foot building in rural Webber Township. Multiple people were arrested on site and the Michigan State Police claims the haul was worth over $10 million on the street.
SURVIVAL MODE: Prices are still plunging on Michigan’s oversaturated weed market but a handful of smaller, independent operators—like Greenhouse of Walled Lake—say they’re surviving the slump thanks to loyal customers, strong branding, and smart business moves.
GREAT LAKES GRIT: Michigan is still on track to surpass California in monthly cannabis sales despite having about one-third of the population. If the trend continues, Michigan could soon become the largest legal cannabis market in North America—and maybe the world.
TRIBAL TRAILBLAZERS: In a first-of-its-kind deal, the Bay Mills Indian Community has signed a new cannabis compact with the state—making it the only tribal nation in Michigan that’s now fully licensed to begin selling its own cannabis products in dispensaries across the state.
REGULATORY RUNDOWN: State regulators dropped the hammer in June, fining 25 cannabis businesses statewide for violations ranging from the sloppy to the straight-up sketchy. The biggest hit: Plan B Wellness was fined $78,000 for a laundry list of issues, including stashing 20,000 vape carts in an unapproved back room and selling products that didn’t pass testing.
READ MORE: What to do when you get too high at a Michigan county fair
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