LANSING, Mich. - Michigan's pandemic year was a boon for its marijuana industry. Medical and recreational sales raked in hundreds of millions of dollars.
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Legalized only months before coronavirus forced people inside, Michigan residents spent at least part of their time partaking in the substance, either by smoking it or eating it.
That momentum doesn't look like it's going to slow down anytime soon. After adult recreation sales totaled $341 million in 2020, the state's Marijuana Regulatory Agency predicted sales would almost double this year.
A spokesperson for MRA said annual projections made by their director for 2021, which came out to be more than a billion dollars, were based on the averages reported so far and multiplying them for the rest of the year.
In just February alone, the state reported more than $67 million in total sales, according to a monthly report. That includes 7,963 pounds of marijuana flower and 54,083 pounds of marijuana-infused edibles.
Among the markets yet to be tapped in Michigan is Detroit, which is rolling out licenses for retail and supplier businesses to people who have lived in the city for years before it opens the market to others.
The city council approved an ordinance last November that greenlighted the sale of adult-use products in Detroit, promising 50% of all business licenses linked to the industry would go to legacy Detroiters. Businesses include growing operations, cannabis processors, event organizers, and retailers.
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Currently, the city's application process for approving licenses has been put on a temporary halt due to a lawsuit challenging the city's process of resident-based preference.
The state's embrace of weed appears to be growing in other ways as well. High Times Cannabis Cup Michigan, an event that's celebrated every April 20, has launched its first-ever public judging competition that will invite casual tokers to vote on their favorite strains.
More than 75 brands submitted almost 300 products for grading.