Michigan lawmakers are dangling a couple of carrots in front of the state's marijuana industry after approving a 24% wholesale tax on cannabis last week. Proposed bills discussed during a state Senate Regulatory Affairs Committee hearing on Wednesday, Oct. 15, would eliminate some competition for existing marijuana companies.
The bills include a statewide cap on marijuana business licenses and stricter regulation of illegal hemp-derived marijuana products sold at gas stations, liquor stores, smoke shops or online. State Sen. Jeremy Moss, D-Southfield, who chairs the committee, said he's committed to considering legislation that would support the industry in light of the new taxes.
Sections of New Buffalo Township near Michigan's Indiana border are flooded with marijuana shops. The community of nearly 2,500 residents has 26 licensed marijuana retailers, more than one per 100 residents, and others are slated to open.
Meanwhile, neighboring communities have none. There is an inconsistent patchwork of marijuana businesses across the state, in part due to how the 2018 voter-passed marijuana law was written. It doesn't allow the state to cap licenses but instead empowers local communities to determine whether they'll permit them and how many they'll allow.
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