Big Tobacco Chains Want a Piece of Michigan’s Pot Market, But State Deals Blow

Crain’s Detroit Business reporter Dustin Walsh talks about the state’s denial of all of Wild Bill’s applications to sell cannabis products.

Now that Michigan has legalized recreational marijuana, there is a mad scramble unfolding over who will dominate what could be a billion dollar industry.

What will the emerging legal marijuana industry look like in Michigan?  Will major tobacco retail chains get a piece of the market?

Take for instance Wild Bill’s, one of the most popular tobacco outlets in Southeast Michigan. There has been chatter for months that Wild Bill’s would make a play to dominate the marijuana market.

Dustin WalshCrain’s Detroit Business economic reporter, writes in Crain’s that the state has denied all of their applications to be licensed to sell pot products, despite the fact that owners of the company helped shape some of the licensing rules for the cannabis industry.

So where does that leave this emerging market?

“I do think we’re going to see more chain-style” pot shops in Michigan, Walsh says on Detroit Today with Stephen Henderson. He notes difficulty for “one-off shops” with scale and limited product.

Click on the player above to hear Crain’s Detroit Business economic reporter Dustin Walsh talk about Michigan’s emerging cannabis industry.

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  • Detroit Today
    Dynamic and diverse voices. News, politics, community and the issues that define our region. Hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Stephen Henderson, Detroit Today brings you fresh and perceptive views weekdays at 9 am and 7 pm.