The Traverse City commission will meet tonight (Monday) to discuss a long-awaited draft ordinance that would legalize retail recreational marijuana operations within city limits. The milestone comes nearly three and a half years after Michigan residents voted to legalize adult-use cannabis, and three years after the lottery process that distributed Traverse City’s medical marijuana permits. The Ticker caught up with several local players to find out what their plans are for this potential new chapter in northern Michigan’s marijuana story.
The city has drawn significant criticism for its handling of marijuana commerce, particularly in regards to how it distributed marijuana licenses. Held in the spring of 2019, Traverse City’s medical marijuana permitting process drew 72 applications, many of them from downstate cannabis businesses eyeing the area as a high-value market. Ultimately, 13 businesses won the right to open medical dispensaries within city limits, 11 of which eventually did open stores in town; none of them were locally-based companies.
