Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker took to the campaign trail over the weekend to stump for President Joseph Biden, taking advantage of the 420 weed high holiday as an opportunity to tout the cannabis policy reforms made by the current administration. At a campaign stop in Grand Rapids, Michigan on Saturday, Pritzker said that cannabis policy reform can have significant economic benefits in states that legalize marijuana for adults.

“I wanted to come up here on 4/20, because we, too, legalized cannabis in the state of Illinois, and I know that’s been a boon to not only state revenues but also to business and job creation in the state of Michigan,” said Pritzker, according to a report from Michigan Advance.

“To be blunt: we’re proud to have sparked a new industry when we legalized adult-use cannabis,” the governor added on X in a 420 tweet.

Joined by Michigan Democratic state Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, Pritzker said that legalizing marijuana in Michigan was just one of many Democratic victories in the state since 2018.

“You all have turned a state that was — let’s face it, a red state — into a purple state, and now a blue state,” Pritzker told the crowd. “There are so many other states in the country that should be following Michigan’s lead.”

The Illinois governor added that the progress made in Michigan did not come easy, encouraging the public to volunteer for the campaign and canvass voters to get out the Democratic message.

“It’s like the eighth-grade dance, for me, anyway. Sometimes you have to knock on three or four doors before you get somebody you can really talk to,” Pritzker said. “Because you’re willing to do that, you’re going to have somebody to dance with. You’re going to bring them to the dance.”

Biden Administration Reviewing Federal Weed Policy

In 2022, Biden issued an executive order pardoning thousands of low-level marijuana convictions and directed his administration to review the federal prohibition of cannabis. In August 2023, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Assistant Secretary for Health Rachel Levine called on the Drug Enforcement Administration to change the classification of marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act. Under the 1970 legislation, the Schedule I classification indicates that a drug has no accepted medical value and a high propensity for abuse. Other drugs currently listed under Schedule I include heroin and LSD.

In January, the Department of Health and Human Services determined that marijuana is eligible for the less strict classification under federal drug laws, according to agency documents. As part of the review, researchers with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) determined that credible evidence shows that marijuana has legitimate medical uses and fits the criteria for rescheduling under the Controlled Substances Act.

At his Grand Rapids campaign stop, Pritzker noted that Biden is also busy supporting his bid for reelection against former president and presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump. The president spent much of last week campaigning in the battleground state of Pennsylvania and will be making additional stops to help secure the “blue wall” of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, three states that voted for Trump in 2016 but then switched to Biden four years later.

“Democrats need to win the blue wall states. It’s vitally important, and Joe Biden knows it,” Pritzker said. “One of the reasons we’re having the Democratic National Convention here in the Midwest is because he recognizes how important this is.”

“Michigan sits in the middle,” he added. “If we don’t win Michigan, we can’t win the presidency. And if we don’t win Michigan, this country is going to go backwards.” 

Pritzker referred to criticisms that both frontrunners are too old to be elected, arguing that Biden’s experience and character are attributes that will help him in office while suggesting that Trump is uncaring.

“People sometimes say Joe Biden’s old. But Donald Trump has proven that you can be old and not learn anything,” said Pritzker. “You can be old without having learned, throughout the course of your life, empathy for people across the United States. And that is Joe Biden; he wears empathy on his sleeve.”

Pritzker acknowledged that last week, independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy won his bid to be added to the Michigan ballot for the general election in November. But the governor said he was not concerned that Kennedy would be a spoiler candidate that takes votes away from the current president.

“There’s only one candidate on the ballot who can win and beat Donald Trump, and that’s Joe Biden,” Pritzker said. “I don’t think having ballot access for Robert Kennedy is going to change the fact that people are going to go into the voting booths and know that they’re throwing away their vote if they vote Robert Kennedy, and that if they vote for Joe Biden they’re assuring that we’re not going to have Donald Trump as president.”

Pritzker continued his support for the president’s reelection campaign on Sunday, leaning into his belief that Kennedy’s candidacy would not hurt Biden.

“Robert F. Kennedy Jr. being on the ballot in Michigan, I think is going to have a little effect on the ultimate result,” Pritzker said on CNN’s “State of the Union,” according to a report from The Hill. “People understand that there are really only two candidates that have a path to victory in this country and in Michigan. And, of course, that’s Joe Biden and Donald Trump.”

Both major political parties have yet to make their choice for president official. The GOP will meet at the Republican Convention being held in Milwaukee in July to nominate the party’s candidate for president, while Democrats will choose their nominee at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August.

A hemp producer based in Dayton, Ohio has a new customer for its crop after the firm signed a deal with a processor in nearby Michigan to provide raw material for hemp-based bioplastics. Under its new contract with Detroit-based Heartland Industries, Ohio Hemp Company will provide hemp fiber to produce bioplastic that will eventually become auto parts manufactured by a Belgian firm.

Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine signed legislation to legalize hemp in the state in 2019, the year after Congress legalized the crop on the national level with the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill. TJ Richardson and Justin Helt, the owners of Ohio Hemp Company, were among the first farmers in the state to farm the crop. They planted 11,000 cannabinoid hemp plants in 2020 to take advantage of the then-booming CBD market.

After the CBD market began to retract, Richardson and Helt pivoted to growing hemp plants bred to produce grain and fiber, rather than CBD and other cannabinoids. Because of the versatility of hemp, the company still had opportunities with the crop to explore.

“My grandpa always says that hemp is the most exciting new thing in agriculture since soybeans in the 50s,” Helt told agriculture news source Farm and Dairy. “That gives you a little perspective on how often something like this comes along. We see a huge trajectory path for this crop to grow in the state.”

Richardson and Helt knew from the time they launched their operation that there are a multitude of uses for hemp. After transitioning away from CBD hemp, the partners began looking for businesses near Ohio that were using the crop in their products. Before long, Richardson and Helt discovered Detroit-based Heartland Industries, a hemp processing facility founded in 2020. In 2022, the company began a partnership to provide hemp fiber to Ravago, a Belgian bioplastics manufacturer. 

Tim Almond, chairman and co-founder of Heartland Industries, said that from the beginning, his company and the farmers it works with faced challenges as they learned to grow and work with the crop.

“It had been illegal for 80 years, a lot of the knowledge and planting equipment has been either lost or transitioned to corn, soybean and wheat,” said Almond. “Farmers didn’t know what technology would work. So we had to understand how to plant the crop all over again.”

Heartland Industries uses the hemp fiber grown by Ohio Hemp Company and other farmers in the Midwest to manufacture small hemp pellets known as nurdles. After this initial processing, the nurdles are transported to Ravago, where they are mixed with plastic nurdles to produce a bioplastic composed of 70% plastic and 30% hemp fiber. The bioplastic is then used to manufacture parts for the auto industry.

“Everybody wants to have a product that’s better for the environment, but it’s hard to do it if it compromises the cost and it compromises performance,” Almond said. “We found a happy balance with the plastic manufacturing world where we can use this ingredient at 30% in the recipe, and we could see cost savings, we can see weight reduction, we can see performance maintaining the same, but most importantly we can see the reduction in carbon footprint.”

To maximize efficiency, Heartland Industries originally began partnering with farmers in Michigan to source the hemp the company needs. But as the hemp fiber market grew, it also started working with growers in nearby states including Indiana, Illinois and Ohio.

In 2022, Ohio Hemp Company began growing and researching dual-purpose hemp that produces both fiber and grain. Last year, the company grew 100 acres of the crop. Thanks to the new contract with Heartland Industries, Helt and Richardson plan to plant 200 acres of dual-purpose hemp this year.

The hemp grower’s new agreement is a purchase contract to provide hemp fiber to Heartland Industries on a non-binding, year-over-year basis. Ohio Hemp Company is in the process of adding new infrastructure to support its expanding operations. The firm is building a new processing and storage facility, as well as researching new varieties of hemp.

Helt said that the new contract with Heartland Industries and other developments at his operation are signs of the growing demand for hemp in the region.

“It means everything to the growth of this company and to the growth of the industry in (Ohio) to have a major processor (with) a great demand,” said Helt. “All the different pieces of the puzzle are finally coming into place to create an entire industry from front end to back end, from the plant in the field all the way to the end consumer. It’s beautiful to see.”

The newest set of data released by the Michigan Cannabis Regulatory Agency (CRA) shows that the state has once again set a new record for adult-use cannabis sales.

According to the CRA, the state collected $286.8 million in adult-use cannabis sales in March, which made up for 99% of all sales. In terms of product popularity, flower still reigns supreme with $131.4 million in sales. A total of $54.4 million was sold in vape cartridges, as well as $33.9 million in inhalable concentrates, and finally edibles at $26.3 million.

The CRA splits Michigan up into five distinct regions: upper lower/upper peninsula (the region at the top of the state sandwiched between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, and also the northern portion of land that borders Canada), mid lower (sometimes referred to as Central Michigan), southwest (containing cities such as Kalamazoo and Lansing), east/southeast (which includes cities such as Ann Arbor but spans all of eastern Michigan with the exclusion of the Detroit area), and Wayne (i.e. Wayne County, which mainly covers Detroit).

Among these regions, the east/southeast region collected the most in total adult-use cannabis sales with $128,929,767, followed by $79,432,048 in the southwest region, $31,845,920 in Wayne, $29,373,053 in upper lower/upper peninsula, and lastly, $17,209,468 in the mid lower area.

In total medical cannabis sales, the southwest area led with $141,535, followed by Wayne with $945,992, east/southeast with $809,515, upper lower/upper peninsula with $81,273, and finally mid lower with $79,695.

The state has 785 licensed retailers operating, in addition to 260 processors, eight Class A cultivators, 112 Class B cultivators, and 845 Class C cultivators.

Despite record-breaking adult-use sales, medical cannabis continues to decline, and the state only collected $2.1 million sold at 213 provisioning centers. As of March 2024, Michigan has a total of 107,040 medical cannabis cardholders, 8,302 caregivers, and 191 physicians in total. The state received and approved 2,636 initial applications for medical cannabis cards, alongside 1,158 approved renewals. Out of the 27 medical conditions approved to be treated with medical cannabis, the highest percentage by far is chronic pain, which affects 62.95% of all approved patients. Other significant percentages above one percent includes patients who suffer from severe and chronic pain (48.82%), arthritis (21.98%), post-traumatic stress disorder (8.32%), muscle spasms (6.83%), severe nausea (5.99%), cancer (2.83%), inflammatory bowel disease (1.33%), and glaucoma (1.13%).

The CRA also reported that the Marijuana and Tobacco Investigation Section (MTIS), along with the Michigan State Police, worked together to conduct 37 seizures of illegal cannabis products. This resulted in the “confiscation of 14,929 plants, 11,165 pounds of flower, and 3,133 units of marijuana product.”

The most recent record in Michigan’s March 2024 sales topples the previous record set in December 2023. Tallied numbers for the entirety of 2023 show that the state surpassed $3 billion.

At the end of February, the Michigan Department of Treasury announced how adult-use cannabis tax revenue funds will be granted through its Marihuana Regulation Fund. The money was acquired with taxes from the state’s 737 licensees during FY 2023, with a total of $290.3 million. “This week, many Michigan municipalities and counties will begin seeing their share of adult-use marijuana payments appear in their banking accounts,” said State Treasurer Rachael Eubanks. “Through a partnership, the dollars received from the adult-use marijuana taxes and fees are distributed to our participating communities. These dollars may be spent how our local units deem fit to their needs.”

The agency stated that 269 of the state’s municipalities would be receiving a portion of $87 million (approximately $59,000 for every licensed retail store or microbusiness in its jurisdiction), while $101.6 million would be granted toward education and an additional $101.6 toward transportation. “The tax funding for municipalities and counties that comes from the marijuana excise tax is a very important benefit of the legal cannabis industry in Michigan,” CRA Executive Director Brian Hanna said. “The CRA is committed to doing our part in supporting our licensees so that they can continue to grow the local economy throughout the state with good-paying jobs and increased revenues for local government budgets.”

Michigan wasn’t the only state to break a few records last year. Connecticut’s monthly cannabis sales increased every month through December for a total of $274 million since sales began in January 2023. Maryland also saw an increase month-to-month in 2023 as well.

Adult-use cannabis in Illinois just passed the four-year mark, and 2023 was a particularly strong year for the state’s sales. The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation stated that total sales amounted to $1.2 billion last year, with 42 million items sold, which is a 15% increase from numbers in 2022 according to CBS News. “The legalization of adult use cannabis was the start of uplifting the communities most impacted by the failed war on drugs,” Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton said last year. “The benefits from these sales will be used to continue investing in our economic growth in historically disinvested populations.”

We’re announcing the return of the highly-anticipated High Times Cannabis Cup Michigan 2024! 

It’s the fifth year we’ve set up a competition in Michigan—one of our most enthusiastic event markets—and the most recent rundown of winners showcases Michigan’s finest products. With a massive 20-category breakdown this year, we’re proud to display the winners of a variety of categories, as determined by our Michigan judges.

Anybody can be a Judge and you don’t need to be an esteemed member of the cannabis community—just have the passion and grit needed to determine the next year’s winners. Act fast, as product submissions will be taken May 27 through June 7 in the Detroit area. Judge Kits go on sale June 22.

Judges will analyze products in their Judge Kits and a backpack full of potent submissions, using a variety of criteria. For the categories involving flower, pre-rolls, vape pens, and concentrates, judges will take note of a product’s aesthetics, aroma/scent, taste/flavor profile, burnability, effects/effectiveness, and terpene profile. Edibles have a slightly different list of considerations, including packaging and labeling. For categories like Sublinguals, Capsules, Tinctures + Topicals, judges will rank them based on ease of use as well. They’ll have about three months to narrow down their choices. Saturday, August 24 is the judging deadline for Cannabis Cup Judges.

On Sunday, September 15, the winners will be announced! The entry categories include the following:

1. Rec Indica Flower (4 entries max per company) (state-licensed adult-use)
2. Rec Sativa Flower (4 entries max per company)  (state-licensed adult-use)
3. Rec Hybrid Flower (4 entries max per company)  (state-licensed adult-use)
4. Rec Pre-Rolls (3 entries max per company) (state-licensed adult-use)
5. Rec Infused Pre-Rolls (2 entries max per company) (state-licensed adult-use)
6. Rec Solvent Concentrates (2 entries max per company) (state-licensed adult-use)
7. Rec Non-Solvent Concentrates (2 entries max per company) (state-licensed adult-use)
8. Rec Distillate Vape Pens & Cartridges (2 entries max per company) (state-licensed adult-use)
9. Rec Non-Distillate Vape Pens & Cartridges (2 entries max per company) (state-licensed adult-use)
10. Rec Edibles: Solvent Gummies (3 entries max per company) (state-licensed adult-use)
11. Rec Edibles: Non-Solvent Gummies (3 entries max per company) (state-licensed adult-use)
12. Rec Edibles: Non-Gummies (3 entries max per company) (state-licensed adult-use)
13. Rec Sublinguals, Capsules, Tinctures + Topicals (3 Entries max per company) (state-licensed adult-use)
14. MEDICAL Indica Flower (4 Entries max per company) (State-Licensed Medical-Facility)
15. MEDICAL Sativa Flower (4 Entries max per company) (State-Licensed Medical-Facility)
16. MEDICAL Hybrid Flower (4 Entries max per company) (State-Licensed Medical-Facility)
17. MEDICAL Pre-Rolls (4 Entries max per company) (State-Licensed Medical-Facility)
18. MEDICAL Concentrates (4 Entries max per company) (State-Licensed Medical-Facility)
19. MEDICAL Infused Pre-Rolls (4 Entries max per company) (State-Licensed Medical-Facility)
20. MEDICAL Edibles (3 Entries max per company) (State-Licensed Medical-Facility)

Entry Requirements

One entry requires a $250, non-refundable fee, while two entries require a non-refundable fee of $100 per entry. Three or more entries requires a $100 refundable deposit per entry held, refunded when all entries are successfully submitted. Entry fees are waived for sponsorships. As medical patients are allowed to have higher amounts of certain forms of cannabis in Michigan, entry requirements vary for adult-use and medical products as follows:

Recreational:

• Flower: (228) 1-gram units. We will not accept any 3.5-gram entries.
• Pre-Rolls & Infused Pre-Rolls: (228) units: Pre-Rolls will be capped at 2-gram flower-only each;
• Infused Pre-Rolls will be capped at 3-gram flower-equivalency or 1-gram concentrate-equivalency each by METRC equations.
• Concentrates & Vape Pens: (228) .5-gram units. We will not accept any 1-gram entries. Batteries are required for Carts.
• Edibles: (100) units with 100mg THC max.
• Sublinguals, Capsules, Tinctures + Topicals:  (60) units with 500mg THC max

Medical:

• Flower: (228) 1-gram units. We will not accept any 3.5-gram entries.
• Pre-Rolls & Infused Pre-Rolls: (100) units: Pre-Rolls will be capped at 2-gram flower-only each;
• Infused Pre-Rolls will be capped at 5-gram flower-equivalency or 5-gram concentrate-equivalency each by METRC equations.
• Concentrates & Vape Pens: (100) .5-gram units. We will not accept any 1-gram entries. Batteries are required for Carts.
• Edibles: (100) units with 200mg THC max.

Looking Back at Events in Michigan

Let’s take a look back at a few past highlights in the Midwest. Michigan has hosted many Cannabis Cups with notable faces over the years, and we have some signature years underneath our belts. 2018’s High Times Cannabis Cup Michigan festivities, for instance, were headlined by Lil Wayne, Waka Flocka Flame, Vic Mensa, Machine Gun Kelly, Yo Gotti, and more. 

The 2019 Michigan Cannabis Cup showcased amazing submissions of strains like Critical Mass by Mrs. Berry Kush or Tropicana Cookies by COCO Extracts.

Last year, at the High Times Cannabis Cup Michigan 2023, winners received the coveted High Times Cannabis Cup trophy, a longtime symbol of quality in the cannabis community. It was designed by Alex and Allyson Grey, made from zinc and 24k gold plating.

New data from the Cannabis Regulatory Agency (CRA) in Michigan revealed that the state collected more than $3.6 billion in adult-use sales last year. Compared to the $2.3 billion in sales collected in Michigan in 2022, the most recent sales data shows 30% growth.

According to Crain’s Detroit, that amount equates to $305 in cannabis products per person, compared to the $150 per capita in California (with a projected $5.9 billion in cannabis products sold in 2023), and approximately $290 in per capita spending in Colorado.

The CRA also showed an increase in retailers as well, with a total of 750 dispensaries as of December 2023. “As we head into 2024, the CRA continues to focus on transparency and communication, working with stakeholders as the industry continues to grow,” CRA Director Brian Hanna said. “We’re committed to supporting Michigan’s cannabis licensees who currently employ over 35,000 employees, a 23% increase from December 2022.”

Hanna took the position of director after former director Andrew Brisbo departed in September 2022. With a background in law enforcement, Hanna has implemented strict rule enforcement, such as fines for cannabis businesses that didn’t pay their annual fees but also for those who were not tracking and/or handling cannabis products properly. According to MLive.com, this helped curb black market sales and other related activity.

MiCannaPros founder Harry Barash told MLive.com about the methods and results of the CRA. “They’re certainly making a lot of examples, and if you’re doing things that you shouldn’t be doing it’s only a matter of time before the CRA figures it out,” said Barash. “It certainly seems like they have more bodies and more enforcement now. The CRA has sent a strong message.”

The news outlet sought out comment from an industry veteran, Eric Jacovetti, who has previously worked in cultivation and for a cannabis-related staffing company, but currently runs cannabis-related equipment rental. Jacovetti added that the CRA has only reached the tip of the iceberg, so to speak, in terms of uncovering black market operations. “Just the way the current system is set up, you’d have to go to facilities and be auditing sticker by sticker, batch by batch, and I just don’t see that happening,” said Jacovetti. “I don’t even know how they could do it, en masse. A lot of this is still self-policing and thankfully there’s not a lot of folks that don’t want to break the rules.”

Despite the growth in sales, some believe that Michigan is reaching a cap soon. Prices in December 2019 when sales first began included $323 for one ounce of flower, but by December 2023, prices had dipped to $95 an ounce. Just in 2023 though, per ounce prices were lowest in January 2023 with $80.15 an ounce, and highest in July 2023 with $98.65 per ounce. After July, prices remained stable.

NORML board member and Meds Café operations manager, Jamie Lowell, predicts that the more drastic price decreases in 2022 pushed away investors, leading to a decrease in supply in the near future. “We could be looking at a scenario in the future where there’s not as much inventory in the pipeline,” said Lowell. “A lot of people just backed off because of market saturation.”

Michigan currently uses private labs for product testing, which is funded by cannabis producers, but some allegations claim that labs can potentially be changing product results to benefit business owners and not consumers. To counter this, the CRA is working on building a state-run testing lab that will verify test results and perform audits on those labs. The new lab will be built using $2.8 million from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s 2024 budget, and is expected to open sometime this year.

“I think it could definitely have an impact on the safety compliance portion of the business, which definitely needs some correction,” Barash commented about the state lab. “If that gets corrected, it could definitely impact pricing. Because if these results are artificial and we now see the true colors of these results, it will probably have a negative impact on prices, because it’s all based on THC.”

Proof of corruption has been found in other parts of the industry as well. Last September, former legislator and head of the Michigan Marijuana Licensing Board and Marihuana Advisory Board, Rick Johnson, plead guilty to accepting $110,000 in cannabis-related bribes while in office between 2017-2019. “I am a corrupt politician,” he said in court, which followed with a sentence of 4.5 years in prison. U.S. Attorney Mark Totten told AP News that Johnson exploited the system. “Rick Johnson’s brazen corruption tainted an emerging industry, squandered the public’s trust and scorned a democracy that depends on the rule of law,” Totten said.

However, other legislators continue to push to change the industry for the better, in some cases. In May 2023, legislators proposed a rule change to stop drug testing potential government employees for cannabis, which took place later in October. Michigan Civil Service Commissioner Nick Ciaramitaro said that it’s well past time that the rule was implemented. “Whether or not we agree with it or not is kind of beyond the point,” Ciaramitaro said. “Use of marijuana on the job is different than having used it months before you take the test … It doesn’t make sense to limit our ability to hire qualified people because they took a gummy two weeks ago.”

A psychedelic church in Detroit is petitioning a federal court to hear a case against it brought by the city, with church officials arguing that the distribution of psilocybin as a religious sacrament is protected by the U.S. Constitution. 

The church, known as Soul Tribes International Ministries, was raided by Detroit police in September. The following month, the City of Detroit filed a nuisance claim and obtained a temporary restraining order against the church, which is located inside the Bushnell Congregational Church, and its owner Shaman Shu. Under the terms of the restraining order, the church building was padlocked by the city and Shu was barred from entering the building.

On November 6, Shu, also known as Robert Shumake and Bobby Japhia, filed a motion to have the case heard in federal court. Shu argues that the city’s closure of the church is an “illegal” violation of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. 

City Wants Case Returned to State Court

Earlier this week, lawyers for the city filed a petition to return the case against Shu and the church to the Wayne County Circuit Court. The parties in the legal action are now waiting for a judge to rule whether the case will remain in the federal court system.

Soul Tribes considers psilocybin mushrooms to be a religious sacrament and was selling the psychedelic fungi on church property, according to a report from the Metro Times. After a news story from the outlet about the church was published in September, officers with the Detroit Police Department raided the property, seizing more than 99 pounds of what is believed to be psilocybin mushrooms and 120 pounds of “material believed to be marijuana” from the church, according to court documents. Officers also discovered a laboratory on the premises that was allegedly being used to manufacture psychoactive substances.

Officials with the city declined to comment directly on the case because it is still pending. However, Detroit Corporation Counsel Conrad Mallet issued a statement, saying, “Exercising one’s religious freedom does not give them license to break the law.”

“The subject property is poorly masquerading as a church but instead is a distribution center for unlawful controlled substances,” the city’s original complaint against Shu and Soul Tribes reads.

The Subject Property has been the source of numerous complaints from Detroit City Council and neighboring city residents,” the complaint adds.

In 2021, Detroit voters approved a ballot measure supported by Shu and the group Decriminalize Nature Detroit that effectively decriminalized entheogenic plants and fungi. However, the drugs are still illegal under state and federal law.

The city maintains in court documents that the case should be heard by the state court that the complaint against Soul Tribes does not involve federal issues.

“Although psilocybin mushrooms are illegal at the federal and state level, the City can prove all elements of their claim without reference to federal law,” attorneys for the city wrote in court documents. “Further, nuisance law is necessarily regional, the focus is on the harm to surrounding neighbors.”

Lawyers Cite Religious Freedom

Shu was previously represented by attorneys with the law firm Detroit’s Cannabis Counsel. But his lawyers withdrew from the case when Shu filed the motion in federal court without their prior knowledge.

Court documents defending Soul Tribes signed by Cannabis Cannabis Counsel attorney Thomas Lavigne argue that “Soul Tribe’s free exercise of religion was adversely affected by the unlawful search warrant executed by the City of Detroit Police Department and this subsequent nuisance abatement action pursued on behalf of the City.”

“Michigan follows the Religious Freedom Restoration Act which requires a compelling governmental interest and the least restrictive way to achieve that interest,” the lawyers continued in the state court filing. “Every person in Michigan is at liberty to worship God according to the dictates of that person’s own conscience; and the civil and political rights, privileges, and capacities of any person may not be diminished or enlarged on account of a person’s religious belief.”

Shu is now represented by Florida-based attorney George Lake, who is temporarily licensed in the Eastern District Court of Michigan to handle Shu’s case. Lake is reportedly considered an expert in “the free exercise of religion and the sacramental consumption of psychedelics/entheogens.”

“This raises very substantial questions of free exercise of religion and how we define religion,” Lake told the Metro Times about the Soul Tribes case. “Entheogens, scientifically, have been shown to produce primary religious mystical experiences. If a church or person chooses to consume these substances with those types of intentions, is that a protected religious exercise? That’s really where the fundamental question is for me and what ultimately I want the court to address.”

Shu and Lake have announced plans for a $1 billion countersuit against the city, alleging racial and religious discrimination. They also maintain that Soul Tribes suffered $500,000 worth of vandalism and damage, including stolen plumbing and flooding while the building was padlocked by the city. On December 6, Shu removed the padlocks from the building to reopen the building when he discovered the damages.

“When we talk about religious freedom, how do you really put a price tag on having your religious freedom limited even for like one day?” said Lake. “But also there’s some appreciable economic damages that have occurred since the city got that temporary order and took possession of the building.”

Dispensaries are doing their part to help others to feel the true spirit of thankfulness this Thanksgiving with a round of free turkeys. In recent years, Green Wednesday, which falls on the day before Thanksgiving, has become the cannabis industry’s second-highest grossing day of sales, and a big day for promotional giveaways. Like last year, many cannabis companies are joining the holiday spirit and running their own turkey drives with free turkeys for people in need.

Thanksgiving is a holiday people in the New World have celebrated since 1621, with a feast, and dispensaries can help if you can’t afford it this year. High Times found a handful of dispensaries that are participating in turkey drives this year.

Puff Cannabis Company plans to give away hundreds of free turkeys this week. The Madison Heights, Michigan-based dispensary chain’s second annual Thanksgiving Turkey Giveaway starts today and runs through Friday at Puff stores throughout the tri-county area.

Puff Cannabis founder Justin Elias said they plan to hand out over 2,500 turkeys to people in need—twice the amount of free turkeys distributed last year. “The goal of Puff Cannabis Company from the beginning has been to offer top- notch cannabis products while building a knowledgeable and customer- focused team,” Elias said in a statement. “We are honored to have grown to 12 dispensary locations throughout Michigan in only four years, with many locations on tap to open in 2024.”

There are Puff locations across Michigan including in Bay City, Traverse City, Oscoda, Sturgis, River Rouge, Kalamazoo, and Monroe.

Also in Michigan, former Detroit Red Wings Darren McCarthy’s Light’N Up Cannabis Company gave away the turkeys last weekend. Of the turkeys, 100 were planned to be given to Vet Life, a local nonprofit organization that serves veterans, and 20 turkeys went to the North End Soup Kitchen and several other Flint area churches and organizations.

“Once you get something like this started, it takes on a life of its own and is more fun and more rewarding each year. The gratitude people express is heartwarming,” said Kyle Cohee, store owner. “We’ve been through some tough times here in Flint, and people deserve every single break we can provide. Giving them the central part of a Thanksgiving meal is our honor and our way of thanking the people of Flint for supporting our store.”

MariMed is donating over 800 turkeys in the states where it currently operates, including Massachusetts, Maryland, Illinois, Ohio, and Delaware. “Doing our part to support the communities we serve is an important part of MariMed’s mission to improve people’s lives every day,” said CEO Jon Levine. “This is the third consecutive year of our Thanksgiving turkey giveaway, which has become a wonderful tradition that our entire MariMed family rallies behind. We’re proud that we can help ease the financial burden for so many people at this time of year.”

Bulldog Cannabis in Thousand Palms, California is donating 100 turkeys for families in Thousand Palms to have for the Thanksgiving holiday, the dispensary’s annual holiday drive.

The turkeys will be given out from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 22 to the first 100 families from Thousand Palms.

Supervisor V. Manuel Perez, from the Riverside County Board of Supervisors, spoke on the support by the local business.

“We appreciate Bulldog Cannabis for supporting the community and local families and once again giving back in this way to our unincorporated community of Thousand Palms,” Perez said. “It is a wonderful donation and people are welcome to come by on Wednesday, November 22 and pick up a turkey for the holiday.”

Bulldog Cannabis is the first cannabis business within the unincorporated communities of the Fourth District, and is located in Thousand Palms, the heart of the valley.

Bulldog Cannabis Owner Sam Kapukchyan states, “Bulldog Cannabis is proud to continue the tradition of our turkey giveaway to local Thousand Palms residents. Here at Bulldog, we are all about family caring for others and giving back. Our local Thousand Palms customers have been very loving and supportive of our shop so, on November 22nd, we will be passing out 100 turkeys, one per household to our local Thousand Palms residents, no purchase necessary.”

The turkey giveaway will be a walk-up distribution outside Bulldog Cannabis in Thousand Palms, 72-242 Watt Court.

People who get a turkey should remember to never put a frozen turkey in the deep fryer. That’s why some of the turkey drives are requiring recipients to sign a waiver. They should also make sure that the turkey is completely thawed because oil and water do not mix, and the turkey should thaw in the refrigerator.

Country cannabis outlaw and icon Willie Nelson entered the Michigan cannabis market, debuting his cannabis brand in the state last week.

Michigan is the eighth state so far to sell flower from the singer-songwriter’s exclusive cannabis brand, Willie’s Reserve, which will be available at all Puff locations and several other dispensaries across the state. 

Nelson has earned his name in the cannabis world after decades of support. Now at 90 years old, Nelson has attributed cannabis—a secret to a long life—as a main driving force in quitting cigarettes and alcohol, his lifetime battles with addiction. He’s ready to share his cannabis brand, now in Michigan, which is something that he can truly stand behind.

Willie’s Reserve is working with Lansing, Michigan-based Aardvark Industrees to supply dispensaries with the flower. The strains are potent, ranging from 24% to 30% THC, with names such as Cousin Strawberry G (Cousin Larry x Strawberry Cough) or Hitman OG (OG Kush x Unknown Hybrid Indica). Details about Willie’s Reserve-specific strains in the area have not yet been released. The brand sends a variety of pre-rolls, eighths, and quarter jars, among other products. You can check the website to find where Aardvark Industrees cannabis can be found.

“This model is twofold in its purpose—first to help meet the expected demand of the product and, secondly, to support small independent growers in the state,” Hilary Dulany, an Aardvark Industrees partner, said in a statement. “By working with smaller growers, we can ensure that the product we bring to market is truly Willie-worthy while being able to pivot with market demand.”

Aardvark Industrees is also handling local operations of Cheech’s Stash, a brand created by comedian and actor Cheech Marin, one-half of the duo Cheech & Chong.

Crain’s calls Michigan the second largest cannabis market in the United States, based on Headset research.

Starting Oct. 25, Willie’s Reserve will be available at 15 dispensaries statewide, including Stone Depot in Jackson, Green Stem in Niles, Verts Neighborhood Dispensary in Traverse City, Mood Center Line in Center Line, Planet 420 in Flint, Endo in Adrian, and all off Puff locations in Bay City, Traverse City, Hamtramck, Kalamazoo, Madison Heights, Monroe, Oscoda, River Rouge, Sturgis, and Utica.

“We’re drawn to brands that are also pioneers and cannabis risk-takers,” Dulany said. “We want the brands we grow for and work with to be aligned with us personally and professionally.”

The Spread of Willie’s Reserve

Nelson launched Willie’s Reserve in 2015, starting out with simple labeling and stock tins. Building on a long career of singing about and advocating for cannabis use, Willie’s Reserve represents “a culmination of [Nelson’s] vision, and his whole life,” according to company spokesman Michael Bowman.

In 2016, Nelson opened shop in three states: Washington, Colorado, and Washington. And it wasn’t long until Willie’s Reserve started appearing on dispensary shelves in Oregon and Las Vegas, Nevada. In October, 2017, Nelson announced his cannabis line was headed for California after the passage of Prop. 64, opening the doors for the largest state cannabis market in the U.S. at the time.

Nelson was interviewed by High Times in 2005, along with his old pal Keith Stroup, founder of NORML, and even Bob Dylan made a quick cameo appearance during the interview.

“Yeah, I knew I was killing myself with cigarettes, and I knew I was really putting myself in danger with drinking so much, so somewhere along the way I decided, ‘Wait a minute! You know, do what you can do’,” Nelson told High Times. “In the early years, I drank all the time. Mainly before pot. Up until then, I was into whiskey and uppers. You know, that’s the deal. Truck drivers had the bennies when they made those LA turnarounds, and all that stuff was going around. All the guitar players had it.”

Nelson also admitted that you can’t have too much of a good thing.

“Moderation is always the key, even for pot,” he said in 2005. “You can overdo pot. And it’s not for the kids…. After they get 18, 21 years old, they’re going to try whatever they’re gonna try…”

Before the launch of Willie’s Reserve, Nelson used to grind up all of his weed, regardless of variety or strain, and store his ground up mixture in a large tin.

Nelson is co-founder of Farm Aid, a nonprofit organization that raises millions of dollars to promote family-owned farms, his own version of Live Aid. Truth be told, Nelson has spent a great deal of this time during his career supporting farmers.

Nelson’s son, in the band Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, released their own song aptly named “High Times” and is heavily involved in the cannabis side of business with his family. Catch their cannabis, now available throughout Michigan.

Two cannabis bills were recently sent to the desk of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and if passed, would work in tandem to allow the Cannabis Regulatory Agency (CRA) to do business with local Native American cannabis businesses, and vice versa.

Currently, state licensed cannabis and tribal cannabis businesses must operate separately from one another and cannot trade or do business with one another. Senate Bill 179 and Senate Bill 180 would permit these two distinct parts of the industry to interact.

“According to committee testimony, the marijuana industry regulated by the CRA and businesses operated by tribal members on tribal lands are currently in two separate silos, meaning that product cannot be sold between these businesses,” the analysis stated. “The bills are intended to allow for the sale of product between the two types of businesses while maintaining a level playing field by requiring tribal businesses to pay the same tax rate as other businesses.”

SB-180, sponsored by Sen. Roger Hauck, would allow the CRA to enter into an agreement with a Native American tribe “regarding marijuana-related regulatory issues that involve the interests of Michigan and the Indian tribe, including those related to the commercial growing, processing, sale, testing, transportation, and possession of marijuana.” Tribal businesses would be exempt from the 10% state excise tax on cannabis but would instead implement a tribal tax of 10% instead.

It also includes a section clearly stating that it is not unlawful to conduct these agreements. “The act currently provides that certain acts performed by licensees are not unlawful; not an offense; not grounds for seizing or forfeiting property; not grounds for arrest, prosecution, or penalty in any manner; not grounds for search or inspection except as authorized by the act; and not grounds to deny any other right or privilege.”

SB-179, sponsored by Sen. Jeff Irwin, amends state law to give a portion of state cannabis tax revenue to tribes who allow state licensed cannabis business on their land. “The bill would provide that, if a marijuana retailer or microbusiness is located in Indian lands, the portions of the unexpended balances attributable to the marijuana retailer or microbusiness that would otherwise have been allocated to a municipality and a county as described above must instead be allocated to the Indian tribe in whose Indian lands the marijuana retailer or microbusiness is located.”

Both SB-180 and SB-179 must be passed in order for them to take effect. The Native American tribes in support of this include the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, as well as the CRA, Common Citizen (a Michigan-based cannabis brand), and Michigan Cannabis Industry Authority.

Numerous other cannabis- or psychedelic-related bills have also been working through the legislature recently. In July, the Michigan Civil Service Commission adopted a rule to stop cannabis drug screenings for most state government employees. Commission member Nick Ciaramitaro explained that it’s long overdue to implement the new rule. “Whether or not we agree with it or not is kind of beyond the point,” said Ciaramitaro. “Use of marijuana on the job is different than having used it months before you take the test … It doesn’t make sense to limit our ability to hire qualified people because they took a gummy two weeks ago.” The rule took place starting on Oct. 1.

In September, Michigan legislators passed a resolution and asked congress, the Department of Defense, and Department of Veterans Affairs to “prioritize research and investment in non-technology treatment options for servicemembers and veterans who have psychological trauma as a result of military service.”

The resolution also addresses how “effective treatment options for these conditions vary from servicemember to servicemember” when it comes to psychedelic treatments. 

It also adds the importance of supporting veterans’ family members as well, stating that “resources should be made available to help them understand and assist their loved ones who may be suffering from psychological trauma. Family members of servicemembers or veterans with behavioral health problems may experience family violence and aggression, lower parenting satisfaction, and child behavior problems.”

A new bill introduced earlier this month focuses on cannabis for students kindergarten through 12th grade. If passed, it would allow cannabis to be on campus for medical use, as long as two medical professionals have provided written permission. Additionally, teachers would oversee administering the medicine.

In August, the Michigan Cannabis Regulatory Agency reported cannabis revenue was at record-highs, having collected $276 million in sales for the month of July. Despite high sales numbers, many cannabis businesses have reported low profits. National Cannabis Industry Association’s senior economist, Beau Whitney, explained the effects of new licenses being approved, creating endless competition. “It’s kind of a race to the bottom, as they call it,” said Whitney. “Prices are going down, down and down because there’s so much competition, but at some point, prices won’t be able to go down any further.” 

Michigan students enrolled in K-12 schools might be allowed to consume their medical cannabis on school grounds soon (and on the bus, something anyone who was bullied on those tragic vehicles is likely jealous of), FOX 2 Detroit reports. That is if new legislation introduced last week passes. Michigan House Democratic representatives introduced the bill, which would allow students to take edibles, infused beverages, and other low-dose cannabis and CBD products.  

However, as much fun as some readers may have to imagine kids lighting up a joint on the back of a school bus and telling bullies where to shove it, teachers will be in charge of administering the cannabis (and not in the form of joints). Those prescribed medical marijuana will require written specific permission about when it can be taken. The legislation aims to make it easier for kids who use cannabis therapeutically to take their medicine. 

For pretty obvious reasons, steeped in our country’s drug war, the idea of kids taking cannabis at all, even with the blessing of a doctor, is pretty controversial. But if children were prescribed another medication yet unable to take it while at school, which takes up most of their day, communities would be in an uproar. This latest proposed legislation aims to treat cannabis as just another prescription. 

In Michigan, the use of medical cannabis by children requires approval from not just one, but two medical professionals. This rule sets Michigan apart from the majority of states where medical marijuana is legal, as many of these states do not impose a minimum age requirement of 18 for medical marijuana users. Conditions that can be treated by medical cannabis for children include epilepsy, autism, muscular dystrophy, attention deficit disorder, and pain and nausea due to cancer.

In other Michigan news, looking at adults, those past school age and part of the job market, as of Sunday, most government jobs will no longer drug test prospective employees for cannabis. It even has retroactive effects, as those who have been denied jobs regarding positive THC tests have a chance to get the same sanctions. John Gnodtke, State Personnel Director, proposed this change to the Michigan Civil Service Commission on May 12.

Following that, at a July 12 meeting, the Michigan Civil Service Commission approved the proposed additional changes while adopting rule amendments that would allow for revoking active sanctions for some applicants who tested positive for cannabis in drug tests since 2020. 

“When a drug test is required, an appointing authority shall require testing for marijuana, cocaine, opiates, amphetamines, and phencyclidine, except that marijuana testing is not authorized for a preemployment drug test for a new hire to a position that is not test‐designated and cannot be used to rescind a conditional offer of employment to such a position,” the amended rule reads. “Before 9f an agency requires testing for other drugs, it must first obtain written approval from the director. A request must include the agency’s proposed initial test methods, testing levels, and performance test program. When conducting reasonable‐suspicion or post‐accident testing, an agency may require testing for any drug listed in schedule 1 or 2.”

In late August, a leaked letter from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Assistant Secretary for Health Rachel Levine recommended reclassifying cannabis from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule III drug, as per the Controlled Substances Act. 

The DEA defines a Schedule III substance as “drugs with a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence.” The DEA says that the potential for abuse of Schedule III drugs is less than that of Schedule I and Schedule II drugs—but more habit-forming than Schedule IV (which Xanax falls into) and Schedule V drugs (such as Robitussin AC). Other examples of Schedule III drugs include pills containing less than 90 mg of codeine per dosage unit, ketamine, and testosterone.

This move was directed to DEA’s Anne Milgram. While hailed as “historic,” it’s worth noting that while this reclassification would relax certain restrictions, cannabis would still be considered a controlled substance, leaving plenty of folks to argue that it falls far too short of fully ending cannabis prohibition and the ongoing War on Drugs.

Confirmation of this recommendation came shortly after the leak when HHS said that their representative had indeed passed along their findings to the DEA. An HHS spokesperson stated, “Following the data and science, HHS has expeditiously responded to President Biden’s directive to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra and provided its scheduling recommendation for marijuana to the DEA on August 29, 2023.”

While most pro-cannabis activists think it’s not enough, the impact of the suggestion alone was enough to send cannabis stocks soaring.