Sunday marks first day of recreational marijuana sales in Michigan, draws large crowds

Hundreds of people lined the blocks outside local marijuana dispensaries early Sunday morning as Ann Arbor businesses Exclusive Brands, Arbors Wellness and Greenstone Provisions opened sales of marijuana to recreational users for the first time. The stores are three of six retail shops in the state of Michigan licensed to sell recreational marijuana.

Michigan passed Proposal 18-1 last November, allowing adults over the age of 21 to possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana. The proposition also stipulated that recreational sales of marijuana be subject to a 10-percent excise tax in addition to Michigan’s six-percent sales tax. Applications to sell recreational marijuana opened Nov. 1.

The Michigan Marijuana Regulatory Agency announced Wednesday that licensed retailers may transfer up to 50 percent of their medical inventory from the past month to their recreational inventory. Currently, six stores have received recreational licenses, four of which are located in Ann Arbor, one in Evart, and one in Morenci, though not all of them have opened sale to recreational users yet.

Al Moroz, manager of Arbors Wellness, said he wasn’t surprised by the number of people waiting to make recreational purchases, as consumers have been making their demand known. [Read more at The Michigan Daily]