Is Weed Legal in Michigan? Legal Age, Possession and Consumption Rules
Well, the short answer is yes, weed has been legal in Michigan for medical use since 2008, and for recreational or adult use since late 2018. But there are several conditions when it comes to consumption, and production of weed for both medical and recreational purposes.
Despite the legalization of weed, it is important to know how much weed you can purchase, how much weed you can carry, what’s the legal age of consuming weed, what are terms and conditions for growing it at home, or in a commercial setting, along with the conditions for consuming weed for medical purposes.
Although weed is legal, it’s not like buying a can of soda from a convenience store or ordering pizza online. There are various rules and regulations that you need to follow, and this article focuses on key factors that you need to be aware of.
Is Weed Legal in Michigan?
Yes, the great news is weed is officially legal in Michigan since 2018, but there are certain legal restrictions when it comes to its possession and consumption. Regardless of its legal status, weed is still a psychoactive drug, and that’s why there are certain rules that you must follow if you want to consume or produce weed.
So, it’s crucial for you to properly understand, and be fully aware of the legal restrictions of carrying, and consuming weed in Michigan. Whether you want to use it for recreational purposes to calm your nerves and relax, or for any medical issues you are experiencing, you wouldn’t want to get entangled in legal complexities.
In many serious cases, you may be charged fines of up to $2,000 and a jail time of up to 1 year. However, if you carefully follow the law, and carry, or consume it accordingly, then you can make the best use of weed without facing any hassle at all.
You don’t want a bad day to turn into a nightmare, especially for not being properly aware of the laws concerning weed. So, it’s essential for you to know the purchase and possession limits, legal age for possession and consumption, along with certain rules, and restrictions of consuming weed, which will be discussed in detail as follows.
Purchase, and Possession Limits
The interesting thing about the purchase limit is, you can purchase up to 2.5 ounces (70.87 grams) of weed per transaction or at a time, this means that you can purchase a maximum quantity of 2.5 ounces for every purchase.
Let’s say you have purchased 2.5 ounces of weed now, a few mins later you can make another purchase of 2.5 ounces more and so on. So, if you purchase it in multiple transactions, you can buy a higher quantity of weed based on your preferences. Similarly, you cannot buy weed/cannabis concentrates over 15 grams for each transaction.
The purchase limit is the same for medical purposes, but you must have a Medical Marijuana Card, a Certificate or Prescription from a certified doctor to buy weed for treating health problems.
When it comes to possession limits, you cannot carry more than 2.5 ounces of weed, and 15 grams of concentrates, anything beyond that needs to be stored. The maximum amount of weed that you can store at home is 10 ounces (284 grams).
Legal Age for Possession, and Consumption
When it comes to the age limit, it’s as strict as it can be, mainly because marijuana or marihuana (the way it’s commonly spelled in Michigan) is specifically legalized for adults. So, the legal age of possessing and consuming weed is 21, and above.
If you’re below the age of 21, and if you’re caught with the possession or consumption of weed, or any substance containing marijuana, legal actions can be taken against you.
However, if it’s for a medical purpose then you will have to show prescriptions, and medical marijuana card to prove that you’re allowed to consume weed despite being below the legal age. In this case, your parent/guardian would be responsible for supervising your prescription and ensuring that you don’t consume over the prescribed dose, and in the following manner that has been instructed by the doctor.
Weed Consumption Rules, and Restrictions
When it comes to consuming weed, the first rule is you cannot consume weed in public. This is especially because it may be entertaining for you, but at the same time it may be undesired, and disturbing for others.
Also, in some cases it can get dangerous, as your senses go numb, and become more relaxed, it may affect your movements, and natural reflexes. So, you may put yourself and others in danger by unintentionally jaywalking or driving while you’re under influence.
To prevent such unprecedented accidents, and to ensure that nobody feels disturbed while commuting, or exercising in the park, consuming weed in public is strictly prohibited.
So, to stay on the safe side, make sure to consume weed at home, or anywhere indoors which isn’t a public place. And, if you’re consuming weed in any private space other than your home, make sure that it’s allowed by its owner or its residents.
In a nutshell, you are not allowed to consume weed in public, drive while consuming weed, and travel to other states while carrying or consuming weed.
Is it Legal to Grow Weed in Michigan?
Yes, it is legal to grow, or produce weed in Michigan, but just like there are conditions and limitations for its possession or consumption, there are also legal regulations when it comes to growing weed.
Whether you intend to grow weed at home for personal use, or perhaps to run a small business, or for a wider scale commercial purpose, there are certain legal rules, and limitations that you need to abide by.
So, to put these legal regulations more precisely and in clear perspective, the following explains Home Grown Limitations, and Commercial Regulations/Limitations.
Home Grown Limitations
You can produce up to 12 marijuana plants at your own residence strictly for personal use. You must also ensure that people under the age of 21 don’t consume or use the weed that you’re cultivating in any way, unless they’re medically prescribed, and authorized by a doctor.
On top of that, you must also ensure that your home grown weed cultivation is not publicly visible, so you will have to take necessary steps to ensure it’s either covered or located in such an area of your private establishment which is not visible from outside. If it’s visible from outside, then you will be fined up to $100 for committing a civil offense.
According to the State Laws of Michigan, you can get fined up to $500 for cultivating more than 12 marijuana plants at home. So, if you cultivate up to 24 plants then you will have to pay the fine, and if you are caught cultivating 25 to 200 plants at home for personal use, then it will be treated as a state felony which can lead to imprisonment of up to 7 years.
Commercial Regulations, and Limitations
Similarly, like home grown limitations, your weed farm or commercial cultivation facility must not be visible from outside. On top of that, if you’re commercially growing weed then it cannot be located in a residential area, or anywhere near a school, college, hospital, or any Government or popular public establishments.
Only farmers, staff members, and employees of your company should be allowed to get inside the weed farm. You must ensure that your weed business establishment is properly locked with commercial grade locks, especially to secure all entry/exit points, along with the rooms and windows. It is also necessary to ensure that the entire facility is strictly under video surveillance with proper recording arrangements.
Most importantly when it comes to the limit of how much weed you can produce, that will vary depending on the commercial license that you purchase, the cost of acquiring the license can range anywhere from $4,000 to $40,000 annually. You will also have to pay an initial non-refundable pre-qualification fee of $3,000 to the Marijuana Regulatory Agency.
So, based on that your weed business establishment will be inspected by the Marijuana Regulatory Agency, and if everything checks out then you get the license within 90 days.
Depending on the license that you have purchased, here are the following limits of the number of plants that you can grow:
- Class A Marijuana Grower License: This will allow you to grow up to 100 marijuana plants
- Class B Marijuana Grower License: This will allow you to grow up to 500 marijuana plants
- Class C Marijuana Grower License: This will allow you to grow up to 2000 marijuana plants
Apart from the Grower License, you will also have to get the Retailer License, Processor License, Microbusiness License, Secure Transporter License, Safety Compliance Facility License, and Processor License to get the legal rights to run a weed business in Michigan.
When it comes to selling weed, and cannabis concentrates you cannot sell more than 15 ounces (about 425.24 g) of weed, or 60 grams of concentrates at a time.
Can I Carry Weed While Traveling?
Well, if you’re traveling on the road within Michigan, then you can only carry 2.5 ounces of weed. But if you’re traveling by train or the air even within Michigan, then you are not legally permitted to carry any weed, this is because the railway, and airlines are both within the jurisdiction of the federal law.
Weed is legal for medical use in 38 States, and for recreational use in 24 States, it is still illegal in many other states in the USA, and that’s why weed is still illegal according to Federal Laws.
So, if you’re traveling to other States, it would be a crime to carry weed along the way. Now you may be wondering what if I’m medically prescribed to use marijuana? Well, that still makes weed illegal in 12 other States, so Federally it will still be a crime to carry weed even for medical purposes.
Whether it’s medical or recreational, it’s best not to carry weed while traveling, it can lead to serious legal repercussions, and in worse case scenarios you may have to serve a significant time in jail, and later deal with the hassles of dealing with court proceedings. So, if you’re traveling within Michigan, or another state, it’s always best to purchase weed from a reliable weed dispenser in the state that you’re visiting.
Whether you need flowers, pre-rolls, edibles, concentrates, vaporizers, tinctures, and topicals, we have everything covered with a diverse collection that will pique your interest.
Conditions for Consuming Weed for Medical Purposes
You can only carry and consume weed for medical purposes if you have a valid prescription, and a medical marijuana card. Also, doctors cannot just prescribe you to consume weed on request or perhaps you may feel it provides you relief for a certain health condition.
According to the Cannabis Regulatory Agency, a doctor can only prescribe and allow you to consume weed if you are particularly suffering from one or more of the following health/medical conditions listed below:
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
- Colitis
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- HIV Positive
- Glaucoma
- Ulcerative Colitis
- Cancer
- Autism
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Nail Patella
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Crohn’s Disease
- Tourette’s Disease
- AIDS
- Chronic Pain
- Spinal Cord Injury
- Hepatitis C
- Agitation of Alzheimer’s Disease
- Cerebral Palsy
- Arthritis
Additionally, if you have chronic medical conditions such as Severe Nausea, Seizures, Epilepsy, Severe and Persistent Muscle Spasms, Cachexia or Wasting Syndrome, along with Severe and Chronic Pain then a doctor can prescribe you to consume weed to treat and relieve your pain.
Last Piece of Advice: Always Stay Updated with Legal Changes
It’s been almost 6 years since weed has been legalized for recreational use in Michigan. This is a huge change, but with big changes comes various reformations, and usually such reformations are more frequent.
It is always crucial to stay updated with how much weed you can carry, where you can consume it, and how much you can purchase, store, and even grow on your own. While it’s important to know your own state laws, it is also essential to stay updated with the federal laws, as there are legal bindings that apply everywhere, or in specific public places like the train station, airport, and Government properties.
If you have read this far, you are already updated with the local State Laws in Michigan as of September 2024. We will try our best to keep updating this article, but at the same time make sure to check the Cannabis Regulatory Agency to stay updated with the latest laws concerning weed, and its legality.