Michigan’s Border Is A Cannabis Hotspot For Out-of-State Smokers

Marijuana has been legal in Michigan since 2019 and has proven to be a highly profitable venture, with Michigan raking over $3 billion in revenue in 2023. As of April 2024, Michigan currently has 793 cannabis retailers nationwide. Michigan was also in the top 4 in the country for # of retailers in 2023. All that to say, cannabis is pretty popular.

So popular in fact, that thousands of people from neighboring states where weed is illegal are crossing just over our borders to get some of our special grass. How do we know? Well, let's look at how many dispensaries there are near the border.

Border-Hopping Stoners

Three states border Michigan - Ohio, Indiana, and Wisconsin - but only one of those states has legalized marijuana. Ohio only recently legalized weed, with voters approving legislation in December of 2023, however, it has not begun recreational sales yet. I texted my friend from Ohio and asked him if Ohioians can purchase cannabis at shops. Without any knowledge of this article, he replied with:

We do but...it's all super overpiced. Most of us just go to Michigan lol

So yes, it's an open secret that people are coming here for cannabis. Retailers have noticed and opened shops on the borders to tend to these consumers. To put things into perspective, I have found dispensaries operating in towns along the border and compared them to their population sizes to present the disproportionate amount of dispensaries to the town size.

It should be noted that buying weed in another state is legal, but bringing it back to a state where it is illegal is still illegal.