Michigan Cannabis Sales Rebound as Rule Rewrite Advances, June 2026
The Michigan cannabis retail June 2026 update lands with the market climbing back from a winter low, regulators wrapping a multi-year rule rewrite, and licensing fights heating up in Menominee and New Buffalo Township. April sales topped $258 million while the 24% wholesale tax keeps moving through inventory. Meanwhile, the CRA is opening a second public comment window after revising its proposed rules more than 120 times.
Top Headlines This Month
- ⚠️ Menominee licensing settlement triggers ethics complaint and probe warnings
- 📊 April adult-use sales reach $258.17 million statewide
- ⚠️ New Buffalo Township sets June 22 revocation hearings for four shops
- 🏛️ CRA final draft rules clear MOAHR after three years
- 🏛️ CRA opens second public comment period on rule changes
⚠️ MENOMINEE: MARIJUANA LICENSING ARRANGEMENT DRAWS ETHICS COMPLAINTS AND SCRUTINY
A 2023 settlement approved by Menominee’s city council allowed marijuana companies to pay the city’s legal bills in exchange for licensing deals, an arrangement that has since produced an ethics complaint and warnings of possible state or federal investigation. The settlement emerged after five cannabis companies lost their lawsuits over the city’s competitive licensing process, then threatened costly appeals until the council agreed to grant them licenses despite what MLive reported was attorneys’ advice to reject the offer. Attorneys billed a substantial amount for work tied to three marijuana lawsuits, with an unknown portion paid by the cannabis companies. According to MLive, Puff Cannabis attorney Jennifer Green submitted an ethics complaint in December alleging the city shared insider settlement information, including competing settlement offer details, with rival cannabis businesses. Separately, a company headed by Councilman Joseph S. Dulak’s son, Joseph M. Dulak, flipped a property to a cannabis dispensary for a $69,000 profit in 2024. The councilman has acknowledged being authorized to conduct transactions for the company. MLive also reported that State Sen. Edward McBroom said there is a real possibility the Attorney General’s Office or federal authorities could intervene to investigate possible corruption.
Voters approved a cap of nine marijuana businesses in 2025, creating direct conflict with a preexisting settlement commitment to issue a license to Highwire Farms, as well as separate licensing commitments claimed by Puff Cannabis. Puff Cannabis filed a lawsuit claiming it made significant investments to open a store and is losing millions each month in potential revenue, and the dispute now involves at least a dozen parties in active litigation.
📊 MICHIGAN: ADULT-USE CANNABIS SALES REACH $258.17 MILLION IN APRIL 2026
Michigan’s adult-use cannabis market posted $258.17 million in sales during April 2026, according to data from the state’s Cannabis Regulatory Agency. A single day, April 20, contributed $20.4 million to that total, up from roughly $16 million on the same date in 2025. The April figure represents a rebound from January 2026’s $226.4 million, the lowest monthly total since February 2023. The market is operating under a 24% wholesale tax that state lawmakers implemented last year. Robin Schneider, executive director of the Michigan Cannabis Industry Association, noted that retailers are still largely selling through product purchased before the wholesale tax took effect, meaning the full pricing impact on consumers has not yet materialized. Average flower prices in April came in at $59.05 per ounce, a slight increase from $58.22 at year-end 2025.
Full-year 2025 figures add context: retailers sold 260,000 more pounds than in 2024, but total sales fell to roughly $3.17 billion, about $113 million below 2024’s total, because lower average prices offset the volume gain. The April sales rebound and modest price uptick arrive while the wholesale tax is still working its way through retail inventory chains.
Source:
https://hempgazette.com/news/michigan-adult-use-cannabis-sales-april-2026/
⚠️ NEW BUFFALO TOWNSHIP: FOUR DISPENSARY REVOCATION HEARINGS SET FOR JUNE 22
The New Buffalo Township Board rescheduled hearings at its May 18 regular meeting to consider special land use conditions and possible revocations for four adult-use marijuana dispensaries, with the session set to begin at 5 p.m. on June 22. The four dispensaries scheduled are Mint Cannabis at 18300 West US 12, Trap Stars Outlet at 13964 Grand Ave., Refine New Buffalo at 19281 U.S. 12, and The Plug New Buffalo at 19015 U.S. 12. Alleged violations include selling marijuana products in amounts that exceed personal possession limits, surveillance system deficiencies, and failure to notify the Cannabis Regulatory Agency and local law enforcement of criminal activity in a timely manner. A fifth dispensary, Bloomery Cannabis, was removed from the June 22 hearing because the judge lifted a restraining order against the township but has not yet issued a final written order. At the same May 18 meeting, the board granted final approval for Grand Avenue Retail LLC to operate an adult-use marijuana retail establishment at 19511 U.S. 12, and approved a six-week extension through July 1 for preliminary approval at 19325 U.S. Highway 12.
The board originally scheduled a similar hearing for March 24, covering five dispensaries. House of Dank and JARS Cannabis were separately rejected for inclusion in the hearings in February. Township officials noted that the June 22 session will not necessarily result in a vote on that day, but it marks a formal review of whether the four dispensaries should continue operating under their current approvals.
🏛️ MICHIGAN: CRA FINAL DRAFT ADMINISTRATIVE RULES CLEAR MOAHR AFTER NEARLY THREE-YEAR PROCESS
Michigan’s Cannabis Regulatory Agency completed the final stage of agency review for its comprehensive administrative rule rewrite on May 11, 2026, when the Michigan Office of Administrative Hearings and Rules approved the draft proposed rules. The process started in May 2023 when CRA began soliciting stakeholder feedback, followed by a public release of draft proposed rules in November 2024. A public hearing on May 6, 2025 drew 38 oral commenters, and the agency received nearly 600 pages of written comments. After reviewing those submissions, CRA revised the rules and sent them through review by the Legislative Service Bureau, the Michigan Attorney General’s Office, and MOAHR before receiving final approval. The next step is filing the proposed rules, along with an agency report summarizing comments received and changes made, with the Michigan Legislature’s Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR). However, the CRA has since announced a second public comment period and hearing that will come before any JCAR filing. Once filed, JCAR has the option to hold its own hearings before the rules take effect.
One notable deletion from the final package is proposed rule R 420.1005, which would have set a THC limit for industrial hemp products as required by state law since 2021. That provision was dropped entirely from the final draft. The JCAR filing will represent the last formal point in the process where stakeholders can weigh in before the rules become law.
Source:
https://www.cannabis-law-blog.com/final-draft-cra-rules-are-published/
🏛️ MICHIGAN: CRA ANNOUNCES SECOND PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD ON MARIJUANA RULE CHANGES
The Michigan Cannabis Regulatory Agency received over 700 individual suggested changes during its first public comment period and hearing, held in April and May 2025. After reviewing those submissions, the CRA made more than 120 changes to the proposed rules, with some described as quite substantial. Because of the magnitude of the changes, the time elapsed since the first hearing, and a desire to comply with statutory requirements, the CRA announced it will hold a second public comment period and public hearing. The agency will release both an updated draft of the rules and a track-changes version clearly indicating where each modification was made. The hearing date has not yet been set, but the CRA said an announcement is coming.
The second comment period gives interested parties another formal opportunity to review and respond to the extensive changes made after the first round. The CRA said it will send additional notifications and links to relevant documents once the date is confirmed.
Source:
https://www.michigan.gov/lara/news-releases/2026/05/14/update-on-the-marijuana-rules-promulgation
The Bottom Line
Michigan cannabis retail in June 2026 is balancing a sales rebound against mounting regulatory and legal pressure. The 24% wholesale tax continues to reshape pricing, the CRA’s rule rewrite is entering its final stakeholder window, and licensing disputes in Menominee and New Buffalo Township are testing how local approvals hold up under scrutiny.
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