City to open applications tomorrow for 1st phase of Recreational Marijuana Licenses

City to open applications tomorrow for 1^st phase of Recreational Marijuana Licenses

The first phase of applications for the limited license types will open at 8AM, Thursday, September 1 and will remain open through 8AM October 1
Retail, Microbusiness, and Designated Consumption Establishment applicants can visit www.homegrowndetroit.org to apply starting Thursday
Half of licenses will be issued to social equity applicants

DETROIT – The City of Detroit announced today it is opening the application process Thursday morning for the first phase of capped recreational marijuana licenses. The application window for adult-use retailer, microbusiness, and designated consumption establishment licenses will open at 8:00 AM, Thursday, September 1^st and close at 8AM on October 1^st.

Half of licenses to be awarded to social equity applicants

The City will issue a total of 160 licenses over three phases of applications, with the first 60 licenses being awarded in Phase One. Applications will be available online at www.homegrowndetroit.org.

There will be 60 licenses awarded in Phase One, as follows:

40 Retail: Allows a business to sell marijuana and related products from licensed growers and processors to adult consumers for recreational purposes\
10 Micro-Business: Allows a small business to vertically integrate by growing and processing up to 150 plants and selling the resulting products to adult consumers for recreational purposes
10 Consumption Lounge: Allows a commercial location to host adults to consume marijuana products

Each category of license in all three rounds will have an equal number of general licenses and social equity licenses. To qualify as a social equity applicant under the law, an applicant must be a qualified resident of Detroit or another community determined to be disproportionately impacted by the historical prohibition on marijuana. A business that is at least 51% owned by such a person can also qualify as a social equity applicant.

"Tomorrow is a very exciting day for our city. It will be the first day that people will be able to apply for a recreational marijuana license and we are going to make sure there is equity in this process for Detroiters," said Mayor Mike Duggan.

“I am thankful for the most recent court ruling which allows the City to begin accepting applications for licensing in our limited adult-use categories,” said City Council President Pro-Tem James Tate. “Getting to this point has been an overly protracted process dating back to 2020 when the first ordinance was unanimously approved by Detroit City Council. Now with the lawsuits and the failed ballot initiatives seeking to overturn our ordinance behind us, Detroiters and other equity applicants will have a fair opportunity to compete for adult-use licenses in a city that welcomes all to participate in the muti-million-dollar adult-use cannabis industry,” Tate added.

Licenses in Phases Two and Three will be awarded as follows, also evenly distributed among general and social equity applicants:

Phase 2 (Date TBD)

30 Retail
10 Micro-Business
10 Consumption Lounge

Phase 3 (Date TBD)

30 Retail
10 Micro-Business
10 Consumption Lounge

Since voters approved the sale of recreational marijuana in Detroit three years ago, Mayor Mike Duggan's administration has worked closely with Council President Pro-Tem James Tate seeking equitable opportunities for Detroiters to participate in the adult-use marijuana industry, estimated to yield $3 billion in annual revenue in Michigan by 2024.

The City’s ability to accept applications was delayed in July after two separate lawsuits were filed following City Council approval of the modified adult-use marijuana licensing ordinance in April, and a judge temporarily halted the process before reversing course and upholding the City’s ordinance.

All are welcome to join the City of Detroit Homegrown Detroit Program for Cannabis Business Virtual Classes for Entrepreneurs. These informative sessions offer an opportunity to get real time advice from industry experts, and access resources and technical information about business development, zoning, licensing, and the application process. Visit www.homegrowndetroit.org for class schedule, how-to videos, program updates, and coming events in Fall 2022.