Legal marijuana now being sold in northeast Michigan

ALPENA, Mich. — Recreational marijuana use has been a hot topic over the last few months. Meds cafe in Rogers City has been open for medical sales since last April, but now they’re offering recreational products right here in northeast Michigan.

Owner of Meds Cafe, Scott Schroeder, says the number of recreational users is already surpassing that of medical sales.

“For rec patients to med patients, it’s probably about two thirds, one third right now, for the rec patients.”

And that’s after only two full days of selling recreational products. Meds Cafe received their rec license on December 27, but just started to make sales this Tuesday. Since then, traffic has nearly doubled, and Schroeder says he anticipates the store will just keep getting busier.

Previously, patients were driving hours to larger cities like Ann Arbor to purchase products legally. Now, local access is just one of many reasons the provisioning center is receiving such a great response from community members.

“They’re very happy. They’re [saying] ‘long time coming, thank you.’ We hear a lot of that. And it’s, ‘I’m glad I don’t have to drive so far.'”

The business is expected to increase economic growth in the area as well. Schroeder says,

“Since we’ve rolled into rec, we’ve hired two new employees and probably two more on deck, as time goes by. We added a register. As for revenue streams, for us it’s definitely obviously picked up.”

He’s also been notified by the state that Presque Isle county has now become eligible for more grants because of the new license. And he says he doesn’t plan to limit growth to just that area.

“Early February we’re hoping Lowell, and probably late February, March for Manistee.”

All you need to be able legally to purchase recreational marijuana at Meds Cafe is a valid I.D. Stating that you’re 21 or older.