Two legal industries experiencing rapid growth in Michigan are converging, as some tribal governments with casino operations are expanding into the cannabis market.
Enterprising Michigan tribes are looking to the legal marijuana industry, like they have with casinos, as a way to generate revenue for their members. If successful, much-needed tax revenue can also spill into Lansing to help fund state programs.
Tribes must take care to follow regulations unique to them: native tribal nations have different rules for producing, cultivating, and selling products from the land they own, due to federal regulations imposed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Still, some Michigan tribes are finding ways to dip their toes into the cannabis market, which reported $250 million in sales for medical and recreational use in March, according to the state.
Whether through cannabis stores, smoking lounges, or dispensaries, some Michigan tribes are leveraging their resources (land and capital) to explore the recreational marijuana industry.
In 2022, Michigan legislators passed a law that allows the 13 indigenous tribes in the state to sell recreational marijuana, with portions of the revenue taxed and returned to the tribes. The legislation permits tribes to apply for a license with the state’s Cannabis Regulatory Agency as growers, processors, cannabis testers, or transporters of the product.
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