Michigan Cannabis Industry Association

As the marijuana legalization movement has expanded, a new survey shows that Americans don’t view cannabis as harmful as they once did. A new analysis of the National Survey of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), conducted annually by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), found broadly that “perceptions of harm associated with substance use have been steadily declining for most substances since 2015.” That’s especially true of marijuana -- while risk perception has declined across multiple substances over the past decade, it was down “considerably” for cannabis. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gmHBbzWv

November was another record breaking month for the Michigan cannabis industry. With November in the books, Michigan’s dispensaries have now sold more than $3 billion in adult-use cannabis for the year with December numbers still to be configured—an annual record in the five-year history of the program. Additionally, retailers in Michigan sold 103,129 pounds of adult-use cannabis flower in November, breaking a monthly record of 100,894 pounds from August, according to the Michigan Cannabis Regulatory Agency (CRA). Read more: https://lnkd.in/g3x7T7YS

According to the Michigan Cannabis Regulatory Agency's monthly report, Michigan cannabis sales for November rose from a year ago and they rose sequentially 2.9%. At $276.4 million, sales were up 6.1% from a year earlier. The Michigan Cannabis Regulatory Agency breaks down sales by medical and adult-use, with medical sales falling 76.8% from a year ago, and adult-use sales rising 7.3% year-over-year to $267.6 million, up 2.9% sequentially. Michigan cannabis sales expanded 82.1% in 2021 to $1.79 billion, 27.9% in 2022 to $2.29 billion and 33.3% to $3.06 billion in 2023. So far in 2024, they have grown by 8.9%. Read more: https://lnkd.in/exSxHHXF

Six years after Canada legalized marijuana sales nationwide, a new government report shows that daily or near-daily use rates by both adults and youth have held steady. Meanwhile, the vast majority of consumers now say they obtain cannabis legally, with only 3 percent of respondents reporting purchasing from illicit sources. Seventy-two percent of those polled in the new survey said they now purchase marijuana from legal stores or online retailers—up from 37 percent in 2019. Published annually since 2017, the survey is aimed at helping officials “better understand where support is needed the most” and informing Health Canada initiatives meant to “educate and raise awareness around the use of cannabis,” a press release says. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gTdNuPBQ

The National Football League (NFL) has reached an agreement with its players union to further reform its marijuana policies, significantly reducing fines for positive tests while increasing the allowable THC threshold for players. About four years after NFL ended the practice of suspending players over cannabis or other drugs as part of a collective bargaining agreement, the league has again revised its Substances of Abuse Policy and Performance Enhancing Substances Policy as the state-level legalization movement continues to expand. NFL itself has committed significant funding to research into whether CBD can serve as an effective opioid alternative, and it’s also explored the therapeutic potential of the non-intoxicating cannabinoid for pain management and neuroprotection from concussions. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gXUjQ96f

A new study by LeafLink ranks Michigan second in the nation for marijuana sales per resident, trailing only Alaska, where tourism has boosted sales. While Alaska leads the nation in cannabis sales per resident due to its strong tourism industry, Michigan has achieved its ranking through a different strategy: broad accessibility and steady market expansion. Unlike many states where cannabis sales are confined to limited areas, Michigan’s retail market is widespread, though some cities and towns have opted out of adult-use sales. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eurJKwVM

Michigan’s marijuana retailers are on pace to hit a major milestone later this year, with $10 billion worth of recreational cannabis products sold since the state’s adult-use market opened in 2019. Judging from past sales numbers, retailers are likely to pass $10 billion in adult-use product sales in the next few weeks, if they haven’t already. At the end of October, state-licensed retailers had sold about $9.7 billion worth of recreational marijuana products altogether since the launch of the market. Given that monthly sales have averaged about $279 million, a strong November could put the state past $10 billion in total sales. Those figures don’t account for sales in the separate medical cannabis market. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eGnMGNbv

A Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) judge has officially ruled on which of the agency’s selected witnesses for a marijuana rescheduling hearing will be able to participate, while laying out the procedure for the administrative process—including how pro- and anti-reform speakers will be able to cross-examine one another. The order also briefly addressed a motion filed on Monday on behalf of one of the participants that argued DEA itself should be removed from the hearing as a “proponent” of the rescheduling rule due to alleged statutory violations, including “unlawful” communication with the prohibitionist group Smart Approaches to Marijuana. The judge said that he found the argument “wholly unpersuasive” in the context of the group’s defense of its standing in the case, but that he will soon be separately ruling on the merits of the standalone motion. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eJycbUy2

Recently published data from tens of thousands of medical marijuana patients across the U.S. show that pain, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are the leading conditions qualifying patients for state medical cannabis programs. Notably, a majority of patients (58.6 percent) also reported having multiple medical conditions that they treat with marijuana. Among those with co-occurring conditions, the analysis found, anxiety and chronic pain were most common, followed by insomnia, muscle spasms and PTSD. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gk6QuHQQ

Michigan cannabis sales fell from a year ago in September, and rose sequentially 0.6% in October. At $268.8 million, sales last month were up 2.2% from last year, according to the Cannabis Regulatory Agency's monthly statistical report. Michigan cannabis sales expanded 82.1% in 2021 to $1.79 billion, 27.9% in 2022 to $2.29 billion and 33.3% to $3.06 billion in 2023. So far in 2024, they have grown by 9.2%. The program is expected to continue to expand ahead as distribution expands. Read more: https://lnkd.in/g7f3QKCZ