MAKING
GREEN The economic impact of recreational marijuana Up North
By Victor Skinner Communities across northwest Lower Michigan are witnessing the obvious economic benefits of recreational marijuana this spring as the state doles out nearly $2 million in excise taxes to local municipalities and counties in the region. The money is a welcomed new income at a time when inflation is driving up the cost of government business, but local officials contend the money is only one aspect of the industry that’s breathing new life into some communities and offering possibilities for growth that didn’t exist just a few years ago. Benzie County “As far as the tax revenue, the first year we received roughly $84,000, and this year it was double that for the same amount of stores,” says Jason Barnard, Benzonia Township supervisor. The township took in $169,360 in taxes from sales at three stores in 2021, roughly 9 percent of the township budget, and Bernard expects that number to increase with the addition of another store over the last year. When local officials approved up to four dispensaries, two grow facilities, and two processing centers, the focus was on generating better paying jobs and encouraging development. Barnard says the industry is living up to those expectations with none of the predicted downsides. Besides generating funds that likely will go toward the township’s struggling fire
department or a walking trail and other improvements at Benzonia Township Memorial Park, the recreational marijuana industry is employing locals with good wages, helping to attract visitors, and improving the real estate market. “When we drafted the ordinance, we put everything except retail in our industrial districts,” Barnard says. “When we started, there were a handful of properties available, and now there really isn’t. … It’s definitely increased property values, without a doubt.” Benzonia Township’s current status as the only place in the county with recreational sales is driving traffic to not only the dispensaries, but also to other businesses along the way, Barnard says, and it’s contributing to a shift in public perception that will be hard for neighboring municipalities to ignore. “I think it’s opened a lot of people’s eyes to the industry and the product as a whole,” he says. “There’s a stigma attached, and when people see firsthand a situation like this with stores opening up and businesses opening up and crime not increasing and car wrecks not increasing, it’s helped.” Manistee County There’s a similar dynamic at play in Manistee, where both the county and city received $282,267 in taxes for 2021. “We didn’t expect to get that much, so it was nice to get another revenue stream,” Manistee City Manager William Gambill says. The city is currently crafting its
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“The more consumption is allowed, the more the industry will grow,” McCurren of WellFlower says. budget, and the 4 percent boost is a needed addition as officials grapple with the rising costs of roadwork and aging infrastructure, he explains. The city’s five dispensaries have also helped to bring new life to a business district between railroad crossings along
US-31, renovating older buildings and attracting a steady stream of customers from surrounding communities. Trent McCurren, owner of The WellFlower, says that while the stores are zoned in close proximity, most are thriving by developing unique identities
