DETROIT – In 2018, Michigan voted to legalize recreational marijuana by an 11-point margin. 50 of Michigan’s 83 counties voted in favor of the proposal. But good luck finding it when businesses start to open in December.
As state regulators begin licensing businesses to open as early as December, many residents will not have the option to buy recreational weed in their communities.
Why? Well, as a part of Proposal 1, communities have the option to opt out of recreational marijuana businesses inside their borders. In most cases, City Council or City Commissioners voted to opt out of the business end. Marijuana in general is legal in Michigan, as of December 2018.
These communities can opt back in, of course. Some decided to opt out as a precaution, waiting to see how other communities fare. Some opted out simply because their individual communities voted against the proposal in November. Other communities have approved caps on the number of growers and businesses allowed.
The list includes some of Michigan’s most populated cities, like Detroit, Dearborn, Troy, Livonia, Farmington Hills and Rochester Hills.
Here are some of the 2018 vote totals and opt outs around Metro Detroit:
Wayne County: 61 percent voted in favor. 38 percent voted against.
Wayne County opt outs include:
- Allen Park
- Brownstown Township
- Canton Township
- Dearborn
- Dearborn Heights
- Detroit
- Ecorse
- Flat Rock
- Garden City
- Gibraltar
- Grosse Ile Township
- Grosse Pointe
- Grosse Pointe Park
- Grosse Pointe Shores
- Grosse Pointe Woods
- Harper Woods
- Huron Township
- Livonia
- Northville
- Plymouth Township
- Redford Township
- Riverview
- Rockwood
- Romulus
- Southgate
- Sumpter Township
- Taylor
- Trenton
- Van Buren Township
- Woodhaven
- Wyandotte
Oakland County: 58.8 percent voted in favor. 41 percent voted against.
Oakland County opt outs include:
- Addison Township
- Auburn Hills
- Berkley
- Beverly Hills
- Bingham Farms
- Birmingham
- Bloomfield Hills
- Bloomfield Township
- Brandon Township
- Clarkston
- Clawson
- Commerce Township
- Farmington
- Farmington Hills
- Franklin
- Groveland Township
- Highland Township
- Holly
- Huntington Woods
- Independence Township
- Keego Harbor
- Lathrup Village
- Leonard
- Lyon Township
- Milford
- Northville
- Novi
- Oak Park
- Oakland Township
- Orchard Lake
- Oxford
- Pleasant Ridge
- Rochester
- Rochester Hills
- Rose Township
- Royal Oak
- Royal Oak Township
- South Lyon
- Southfield
- Southfield Township
- Springfield Township
- Sylvan Lake
- Troy
- Waterford Township
- West Bloomfield
- White Lake Township
- Wixom
- Wolverine Lake
Macomb County: 55 percent voted in favor. 45 percent voted against.
Macomb County opt outs include:
- Armada Township
- Bruce Township
- Center Line
- Chesterfield Township
- Clinton Township
- Eastpointe
- Harrison Township
- Lenox Township
- Macomb Township
- Mt. Clemens
- Memphis
- New Baltimore
- New Haven
- Ray Township
- Richmond
- Richmond Township
- Roseville
- Shelby Township
- St. Clair Shores
- Sterling Heights
- Utica
- Washington Township