On December 1, 2019, recreational marijuana sales will start in Michigan. But the state’s largest city will not be one of the places to purchase legal cannabis in Michigan for at least the first two months. The Detroit city council unanimously approved a temporary ban on recreational cannabis sales through January 31, 2020.
The ban, proposed by Detroit City Councilman James Tate, is intended to be temporary so the city can create regulations for adult-use marijuana. Tate is the lead on drafting the rules and regulations associated with recreational marijuana. He insists there is no significant opposition on the council to adult-use sales and that the ban will be lifted once they have ironed out the rules.
The voters of Michigan approved legalizing marijuana for all adults over the age of 21 in the November, 2018 election. Since then, almost 80% of the state’s towns and municipalities have enacted local bans on recreational sales. Those municipalities will miss out on a share of the 10-percent excise tax on recreational marijuana sales. For now, Detroit will be one of the cities with a ban.
For the December 1 start of adult-use sales, only Ann Arbor will be ready with three dispensaries licensed, approved, and ready to welcome customers on the first day. Additional recreational pot shops will be phased in over the coming months as their licenses are approved by the state and local municipalities give them the green light.
