Five years ago, on Dec. 6, 2018, after a decisive victory at the polls the month before, the took effect, legalizing recreational cannabis in the state. It was the culmination of years of effort by activists aiming to end the war on drugs.
Since then, the Michigan cannabis industry has exploded, generating over $2 billion in sales β and consequently $200 million-plus in tax revenue β in 2022 and supporting more than 30,000 jobs, the second most of any state behind California. Here, we highlight some key facts and figures that capture our stateβs cannabis landscape five years on.
Monthly recreational sales then and now
- First Month of Cannabis (December 2019): $6,989,306
- Most recent month (September 2023): $269,813,093
Celebrities in the Michigan cannabis business
Method (rapper in Wu Tang Clan)
TICAL (Taking into Consideration All Lives), debuted in 2022
Calvin Johnson Jr. (former Detroit Lions player)
Primitiv, launched in 2021 with fellow ex-Lion Rob Sims
Wiz Khalifa (rapper)
Khalifa Kush debuted in 2022
Mike Tyson (boxer)
Tyson 2.0 launched in 2023
Griz (DJ, songwriter, and electronic music producer)
Astro hippie, launched in 2021
Michigan was the first state in the Midwest state to legalize recreational cannabis
Medical and recreational and medical only are listed in order of legalization date (left to right, top to bottom)
Recreational and medical cannabis
Medical only
Neither
Where Michigan ranks among states in sales
Arrests for marijuana possession or sales in Michigan
- In 2017 (pre-legalization): 18,767
- In 2022 (most recent year stats are available: 554
Jobs and licenses in the Michigan Cannabis Industry
As of September 2023
- Employees: 34,311
- Grower licenses: 2,076
- Retailers: 729
- Processor licenses: 370
- Provisioning centers: 274
- Safety compliance facility licenses: 51
- Event organizers: 46
- Transporter licenses: 41
- Micro-businesses: 16
- Consumption lounges: 2
A timeline of cannabis in Michigan
- Nov. 2008: Medical cannabis is legalized
- Sept. 2016: Medical marijuana facilities licensing act is passed
- Dec. 2018: Recreational cannabis is legalized
- Dec. 2019: Recreational sales begin
- March 2020: First recreational dispensary opens in metro Detroit (Walled Lake)
- March 2022: First consumption lounge opens (Hazel Park)
- Jan. 2023: First dispensary opens in Detroit
- Sept. 2023: First consumption lounge at a festival opens (Arts, Beats & Eats)
Municipalities opted in to recreational cannabis
The Michigan cannabis industry supports more than 30,000 jobs, the second most of any state behindΜύCalifornia.
Excise taxes disbursed to counties and municipalities in 2023
Recreational cannabis sales in the state come with a 10 percent excise tax, and a portion of the revenue is distributed back to cities and counties based on the number of dispensaries within their borders.Μύ
This story is from the December 2023Μύissue of ΒιΆΉ·¬ΊΕ Detroit magazine. Read more in our digital edition.
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