MICHIGAN—From price crashes to border-town booms, this week’s weed news is all about who’s cashing in, who’s capping out, and how cannabis dollars are fueling local communities.
GREEN GLUT: It turns out Michigan’s dirt-cheap weed isn’t so special; it’s just part of the great American cannabis fire sale. Since 2020, prices have reportedly tanked from $394 to $145 an ounce in Massachusetts, $449 to $206 in Maine, and from $419 to a laughable $84 here in the Mitten. The culprit? There’s just way more weed out there than anyone can possibly smoke.
WEED RESCUE: Jerry Millen, co-owner of Greenhouse of Walled Lake, reportedly dropped nearly $1 million to film the pilot for CannaBiz Rescue—a “Bar Rescue”-style reality show aimed at saving struggling dispensaries. The new series is aiming for a 10-episode run in 2026.
GANJA GIVEBACK: Grand Traverse County is reportedly putting $500,000 in marijuana tax revenue back into the community this year, with grants of up to $100,000 for local service groups and nonprofit organizations. The county pulled in nearly $1 million from weed sales in 2024—which was part of nearly $100 million that was collected statewide through excise taxes.
MAXED OUT: After years of watching dispensaries multiply like dandelions, Menominee voters have officially capped the city at nine retailers. The measure passed in a landslide vote, and the city is already at that limit. Four more dispensaries may still be approved (bringing the total to 13), but any other new brands looking to move to town will have to wait for other stores to close.
CHICAGO CASH COWS: A politically connected Chicago family is quietly making bank off Michigan’s border-town weed boom, according to new reports from Crain’s Detroit Business. The O’Brien family owns prime real estate in New Buffalo Township—and has reportedly had dispensaries bid against one another for leases that can cost as much as $55,000 a month.
REEFER MADNESS: Chicago Tribune columnist Laura Washington is out with a new piece linking cannabis dispensary billboards in Michigan to dangerous driving—but the crash stats she cites lump weed in with alcohol and other drugs, making it impossible to pin the blame on THC alone. She also skips over the fact that alcohol is still the top cause of impaired-driving deaths.
READ MORE: Michigan’s newest cannabis lounge is right next to a Dave & Buster’s
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