MENOMINEE, Mich. (WJMN) — The judge who has overseen what has become years of lawsuits over marijuana policy in the City of Menominee asked for a change of approach from the near-dozen lawyers involved in the case.
In the current lawsuit, dispensaries Rize U.P. and The Fire Station (and Adam Michaud, with a defeated ballot initiative committee formed with the goal of putting the city’s marijuana policy up to a vote) are suing the City of Menominee, saying it broke state and local rules when it uncapped its limit on cannabis dispensary permits last year.
The two dispensaries were originally expected to be the only ones allowed to open after promising large local investments in their applications to the city, but a slew of lawsuits in 2021 from the rejected applicants eventually led to the policy reversal last year.
Since then, a good deal of those dispensaries—including Lume, Higher Love, and The Nirvana Center have opened up shop and joined the new lawsuit as intervening defendants.
That’s also about the time when accusations of backroom deals, conspiracy, and efforts to influence elections began firing back and forth.
This year, the plaintiffs have narrowed their suit to focus on their claims that the city violated the Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marihuana Act (MRTMA) and the city charter when it decided to lift its cap on…
