Michigan became the 10th state in the U.S. to fully legalize marijuana when voters approved the ballot initiative during the Midterm elections in November. Michigan has joined Colorado, Alaska, California, Nevada, Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, Washington, and Oregon, plus Washington D.C., in legalizing the use of cannabis for recreational purposes.
However, not all Michigan residents and cannabis advocates are rejoicing over what seemed like a victory for the state. That’s because some local governments have decided to opt out of allowing recreational weed sales.
According to the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), at least 60 cities and municipalities have opted out of the new legislation. In metro Detroit area alone, these localities include Grosse Pointe, Northville, Plymouth, Allen Park, and Milford.
LARA communication director David Harns said that while communities are not officially required to inform them, they still request that they be notified just to make it easier for everybody involved. Harns added that the list provided is still not official; it is a list of communities that have already contacted them directly. That means there are communities that have opted out of recreational cannabis sales but have not informed LARA yet.
The communities included on LARA’s list did not specify any reason as to why they are opting out. However, LARA explained that those communities on the opt-out list could still change their mind and eventually allow recreational cannabis sales.
Michigan’s new cannabis law went into effect on December 6. The law allows adults aged 21 and older to use, possess, and buy cannabis. You can check out the new regulations here.
These regulations apply to everyone in Michigan, even to all the cities and municipalities that have opted out of retail sales.
Currently, there are still no retail businesses that are operating in the state.
