The battle for control of a Michigan city’s lucrative marijuana market has feuding attorneys making bold claims of unethical and potentially illegal behavior.
It’s all taking place in Menominee, an 8,300-resident town on the Wisconsin border in the south-central Upper Peninsula along the shores of Lake Michigan’s Green Bay. The quarreling marijuana stores hope to capitalize on a plethora of out-of-state marijuana customers, mostly from Wisconsin where marijuana remains illegal and many millions stand to be made.
The finger pointing involves attorneys for eight marijuana companies embroiled in a legal battle against and on behalf of Menominee, where elected officials have been accused of Open Meetings Act violations and underhanded efforts to expand the marijuana market in favor of preferred marijuana businesses.
Corporate “shadow” groups propping up sham citizen committees in an effort to stop the expansion of new marijuana shops, political bribery investigations and unethical political moves are some of the allegations that found their way into a motion hearing in Menominee’s 41st Circuit Court Wednesday, March 20.
With 16 various attorneys present and arguing motions, the typically brief hearing stretched more than four hours.
“Accusing my client of bribing city officials, it’s problematic … ” said attorney Joslin E. Monahan with the Grand Rapids-based Miller Johnson law firm. She represents Higher Love, a U.P. marijuana chain that opened a store in Menominee.
Monahan claims Rize, a marijuana chain operated by First Property Holdings, hired a private investigator to investigate whether Higher Love or other companies bribed Menominee politicians in exchange for favorable treatment.
There is no evidence of bribery and speculation alone “leaves a bad taste in the mouth of people who are making material decisions,” Monahan said, “These lies are adversely affecting my clients business.”
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