The matter of local municipalities opting into the legal cannabis industry is an ongoing struggle and debate for budding entrepreneurs and for those companies eager to grow and expand their businesses. In California, for instance, 62% of cities and counties prohibit licensed cannabis retail. In New Jersey, 71% of municipalities have set in place some sort of ban on all types of licensed cannabis businesses. This is not small potatoes.

As CBT Editorial Director Noelle Skodzinski pointed out in her annual State of the Industry address at Cannabis Conference this year, those opt-outs and moratoriums are plainly hindering the cannabis market.

So, it was with great relish that I read a small-town newspaper’s review of the first year of legal cannabis operations in Gaylord, Mich. The piece, written by News-Review reporter Paul Welitzkin, offers a fairly measured look at how things have gone for one community’s opt-in.

In just one year, the city council has issued 27 cannabis business licenses—for a city whose population just barely cracks 4,200. Those licenses include 22 retailers and two growers. All told, the operational cannabis businesses have brought “70 to 100” jobs to the city, according to Welitzkin’s reporting.

Only seven of those retailers are open, as of now. This is because Gaylord City Council members took the notable step of approving any and all license applications (provided they meet state regulations) and letting the free market sort it out in real-time.

How many dispensaries can one small town support? It could be seven. It could ultimately be 22 or more. Gaylord has a strong tourism base, as it is near the split between the Upper and Lower peninsulas; it’s a city replete with Swiss-stylized architecture and year-round activities. Greenlighting adult-use cannabis sales is just another feather in its cap. City attorney Paul Slough says he and the mayoral administration have been pleased with how their ordinance has galvanized a new market thus far. 

Welitzkin elaborates on the deeper context: “Many vacant commercial properties have experienced six-figure investments and in some cases blighted property has been eliminated. All of this has bolstered local real estate and building materials companies and eventually will result in additional property tax revenue.”

It’s helpful to take stock of how the local paper understands the industry. Too often, we’re insulated within the daily grind and liable to miss the broader picture of cannabis reform.

-Eric Sandy, Digital Editor

Just a few weeks after speaking at Cannabis Conference 2022 on a top-notch genetics panel, Ashley Hubbard, director of cultivation at Rair Cannabis in Michigan, will join us for a LIVE INTERVIEW.

It’s happening Sept. 13. Don’t miss out!

During the interview, conducted by Cannabis Business Times Digital Editor Eric Sandy, Ashley will discuss the finer points of aeroponics, as well as her work spent prioritizing plant health, process efficiencies, and genetic integrity in each of her operations. This live interview is brought to you by Surna Cultivation Technologies.

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