And while it’s made a comeback, it still has its fair share of problems. Allowing recreational marijuana sales in the city would help it to further thrive.

Yet two days ago, the Detroit City Council voted unanimously to extend an existing temporary ban on recreational marijuana businesses until at least March 31.

So why is there still no recreational marijuana in Detroit!?

Rewind to November 2019

Honestly, the whole thing is complicated.

Last year, LARA’S Marijuana Regulatory Agency (MRA) set an opt-out date deadline of November 1st for communities that didn’t wish to sell recreational marijuana.

Despite warnings from LARA, the Detroit City Council failed to opt out by this date. In the meantime, Detroit businesses seeking recreational marijuana licenses began submitting applications.

Then on November 12th, the council passed a temporary ban that would run through January 31st of this year.

In the meantime, several Detroit businesses had submitted applications for recreational marijuana. They believe LARA is obligated to issue them licenses and are suing them in a Court of Claims.

We’ll have to see how that plays out.

So Why Extend the Ban?

The members of the City Council feel that they need to set a standard for inclusion. And they need more time to do it.

This effort is led by City Councilman James Tate. Tate stresses that this massive money-making industry should have a pathway for residents of the city to be gainfully employed.

That means more than pushing a mop or working security at a dispensary.

“It’s clear that Detroit’s medical marijuana industry is overwhelmingly owned and operated by individuals who don’t live in the city and take their dollars back to their communities,” Tate says.

“It’s critical that we take the necessary time now to ensure that Detroit’s impending recreational marijuana industry will properly reflect the demographic of the city it’s located in.”

In other words, Tate wants to take this extra time to create legislation that would remove barriers to entry that impact mostly people of color.

This certainly makes a lot of sense.

But while they’re working out logistics, there’s one big problem. The strong presence of the black market.

Detroit’s Black Market

By 2015, the number of unlicensed marijuana dispensaries operating inside Detroit’s 140-square-mile border was estimated at over 150.

An increase in law enforcement has put a dent in proliferation. Still, many of these businesses continue to operate. And they’re not always running out of brick-and-mortar locations.

To make matters worse, Detroit has experienced increased violence already this year. Since the beginning of 2020, there have been a total of 17 homicides and 32 nonfatal shootings.

And according to Detroit Police Chief James Craig, black-market marijuana is responsible for “most” of this increase.

What No Recreational Marijuana in Detroit Means

Opponents to the ban feel that what’s killing people is not marijuana, but rather the prohibition of it. Without places in the city where folks can consume marijuana recreationally, people will continue to find it on the black market and it will, therefore, thrive.

They also feel that the Detroit City Council has been dragging their heels.

One of the requirements of the 2018 voter-passed recreational marijuana legalization was the creation of a Social Equity Program that would encourage industry participation by those who have been disproportionately impacted by marijuana prohibition and enforcement.

The City Council has had a year to create this, but still have no working draft.

So while many opponents to the ban agree that an economic development opportunity to benefit Detroit residents is crucial, they also note that the city and its residents are ironically losing millions of dollars in economic development for every week they fail to implement the recreational adult-use licensing program.

There Are No Simple Answers

Who knows how much longer will there be no recreational marijuana in Detroit.

It’s completely logical that the post-bankrupt city of Detroit wants to institute recreational marijuana in the right way versus the fastest way.

Yet, crime is increasing and the city is losing a lot of money in the process of trying to determine just what the right way is.

We’re in the business of cannabis marketing, not litigation. But from where we’re standing, it’s impossible to say one is right and one is wrong.

We just hope they figure it out soon.

For more up-to-date information on cannabis issues in Detroit and beyond, keep checking back with us.

The post Why Is There Still No Recreational Marijuana in Detroit? appeared first on GROW Cannabis Marketing.

Either way, it’s in your best interest to attend the upcoming cannabusiness seminar at Cobo Center.

It’s going to be essential to help you maximize your earning and boost your operational success.

But it’ll give you much more than that.

Cannabusiness Seminar at Cobo Center Has So Much to Offer

Opening and running a facility is no easy feat.

When working in this extremely highly regulated market, compliance is essential to avoid local penalties from the State as well as the IRS. And they’re going to start auditing as early as 2020.

If you’re found to be not in compliance, you’ll be facing some heavy penalties that could easily put you right out of business.

That’s why Cannabis Legal Group is hosting this seminar on September 27th. It’s targeted for the cannabis industry licensees, and those hoping to be licensed.

And they know their stuff.

Cannabis Legal Group of Royal Oak, founded by Attorney Barton W. Morris Jr., is the premier law firm in the State of Michigan when it comes to offering legal guidance in the cannabis industry.

Mr. Morris has a remarkable track record in the cannabis space, which he has been part of for over a decade. He is a member of the Board of the Marijuana Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan, and advises State of Michigan decision-makers on matters relating to Cannabis Law.

This will be the 12th all-day seminar Cannabis Legal Group has presented over the last several years. Each has been a heavily attended and successful events.

What You Can Expect

Areas to be covered include:

• How to Get Your Recreational (Adult-Use) License and Overcome Roadblocks with your Municipality
• Best Practices and Advice for Maintaining MRA Regulatory Compliance
• Raising Private Equity Capital for Expansion and Business Mergers/Acquisitions
• The Importance of Due Diligence and Best Practices for Acquiring a Cannabusiness
• Common Cannabis Tax Consequences and How to Minimize and Eliminate Issues at Audit Time
• Trademark and Protect Your Brand, or Risk Someone Infringing on or Stealing It
• Al Harrington, Founder of Cannabis Giant, Viola Will Talk About His Success Story and the Cannabis Industry

Wait. Al Harrington? Isn’t that the former NBA star Al Harrington?

Yep. It is.

Former NBA Star in the Cannabis Industry?

There are more and more athletes riding the cannabis wave of success. And Harrington’s entry into the business was through helping his grandmother.

When Harrington was playing for the Denver Nuggets, marijuana was legal in Colorado. One weekend, his grandmother was in town. As she was unpacking, she set out all of her daily medications for glaucoma and diabetes.

She experienced a lot of pain. But what she lamented most was her inability to read the Bible because of it.

Harrington had become aware of the benefits of cannabis for pain, so he obtained some marijuana and then asked his grandma to try it.

She was afraid she’d get busted, but he assured her that she wouldn’t.

He set it out, then went to his room for a nap. When he awakened, he found his grandma in her room. She was reading her Bible and crying.

“I’m healed,” she told him.

Harrington was sold. And now he’s a cannabis tycoon – with 70-plus employees in four states: California, Oregon, Colorado and Michigan. But he’s not in it for the money. He feels it’s important to educate people on the merits of cannabis.

“At the end of the day — and I want you to put this in there, because it’s the truth — I’m not doing it for the money,” he said in an interview with IndyStar.  “Money will come and go, but I’m more focused on service and products and patients. If we take care of them, the money will be there. I get more joy from someone calling or hitting me on Twitter or Instagram (and saying): ‘My mom tried your product and this happened.’ Or: ‘My grandmother tried cannabis for first time and this is the best she’s felt in years!’ I get way more joy from that, than from looking at a bank account.”

So that’s why he’ll be at this event on September 27th.

Ready for Success?

Of course you are.

So grab your tickets for Cultivating a Successful Cannabusiness Seminar at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cultivating-a-successful-cannabusiness-seminar-tickets-67987513483?aff=PressRelease

If you purchase tickets for this amazing cannabis seminar at Cobo Center before August 23rd, you’ll pay only $249.00. After August 23rd, tickets will be $299.00.

And Cannabis Legal Group guarantees you’ll be satisfied, or they’ll happily give you a 100% refund.

Can’t say that for much of anything anymore.

For more of the latest on the cannabis industry, keep checking back with our blog. And if you already have a cannabis business but could use a boost with marketing and public relations, contact us today.

The post Cannabusiness Seminar at Cobo Center Is a Must appeared first on GROW Cannabis Marketing.