LUNA PIER, Mich. (WXYZ) — Right now, Ohio voters are deciding whether to legalize recreational marijuana. Some dispensaries in Michigan say it’s a bit hazy how business will be impacted if Ohioans approve the initiative.
Just north of the Michigan-Ohio border, you’ll find an abundance of recreational marijuana billboards and businesses in Monroe.
But before you get there, there’s Green Labs Provisions in Luna Pier.
“We have a ton of Ohio customers that typically come in," Hillary Donbrosky, floor lead and budtender, said.
In fact, their website highlights the dispensary’s proximity to downtown Toledo. Donbrosky said the Ohio recreational marijuana initiative may not pose as much of a threat to Green Labs because of how they grow their own.
“We have a very fine art in what we do. So, it definitely calls to that certain clientele. So, I’m hoping that it won’t affect us as much, and it’ll also depend on how much taxes are being taken into initiative," she explained.
Colton Blanton, who lives in Ohio and is also a budtender at Green Labs, said he voted in favor of legalization. He was blunt and admitted what he believes is good for cannabis users on a national scale may not be good for business.
“It’s interesting for us — the potential loss of revenue as things get pushed into Ohio. But I think that it’s still, in general, the more states that legalize on the recreational side, the closer we get to the federal pushes," he explained.
Ohio's push is happening amid concerns of over-saturation of Marijuana growers in Michigan, with supply outpacing demand. Thus, that's driving prices down.
Cleveland-based cannabis attorney Kevin Murphy is a managing partner at the Walter Haverfield Law Firm.
“There will be some impact to dispensaries on the border,” he said.
Murphy used the example of medical marijuana, which is legal in Ohio. He said the further south you go into the state, the sales are higher.
He expects Ohio dispensaries to bloom from the current 100, which are medicinal, to 400 if the initiative passes.
“But look, they're both going to be pretty robust markets for a long time. If I were a dispensary owner on the border of Michigan, I wouldn't count on the same level of sales that they've had historically because there will be some impact," Murphy said.
If the initiative passes, Murphy said Ohio and Michigan likely won’t start seeing the effects until the end of 2024.
