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R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press
“Luminaries” in high-visibility vests attend to vehicles at Lume on Spruce Street in Escanaba. It is their responsibility to check IDs, answer questions, take and fulfill orders, and maintain a safe flow of traffic at this drive-through only cannabis dispensary.
ESCANABA — After a long and difficult road to understand a new law and work hard to meet every regulation, cannabis dispensaries have begun to flourish in Escanaba. This boom of new industry is changing the dynamic of the city, sparking curiosity in residents and tourists.
The Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marihuana Act passed in 2018, but it took a while for individual municipalities to decide how to lay out specific rules. The Escanaba Planning Commission, recognizing the importance of listening to the community, held several meetings to weigh public opinion in conjunction with administrative reasoning.
Now that the shops are here with no shortage of customer flow, some may wonder: Who is buying marijuana?
Though the five dispensaries in the area all have slightly different vibes, each of them report that the clientele comes from all walks of life and all ages, with a higher number of out-of-state traffic on the weekends. Wacky Jackz, which is located on US 2 in Nahma, sees a large number of customers who are 60 years of age and older, according to supervisor Amanda Riggers. “A lot are old smokers, but some are new. The new ones are fun, because you get to give them your opinion on what’s good,” says Riggers, adding that every day, people come in asking for advice on how to treat a particular ailment. An informative poster on the wall behind a counter of CBD tinctures, which claims to provide relief without a high, names active ingredients and their respective qualities and treatment applications.
At Elevated Exotics in downtown Escanaba, General Manager Kylie Schmid says she is passionate about providing honest, accurate information. “The more that we can educate people, the more curious they get, and they come back with more questions, and I think that’s what we encourage the most.”
She adds that transparency is important, and states that Elevated only sells high-quality, unremediated product. She explained some companies may use a remediation process and are not required by law to disclose that information. “When you remediate, it destroys the cell walls and destroys the turpene content, which is very important if you’re using cannabis for medicinal purposes.”
There are distinctly different benefits of various turpenes, the levels of which are different in each strain.
This belief in providing information to all is consistent across businesses, and “budtenders” are required by the State of Michigan go through background checks and a training process. The current industry has made marijuana consumption far from what it was prior to legalization, when people were growing the plant in backyards and closets and selling it on the street.
“It’s a tested product with tested results…safer product (than before legalization), and it’s consistent,” said Amy Connor, manager at Lume.
Lume, which was the first Escanaba dispensary and has been open since January 2021, is currently drive-up only, but they spend as long as necessary with each client. Assistant manager Emalie Kivioja said it is common for new customers to drive up, never having used cannabis before, and say something along the lines of, “‘I need you to talk to me about these 20 different products and I want you to explain what’s gonna help my knee pain, what’s gonna help me sleep at night, and what’s gonna make me smiley and giggly at the bonfire with my friends.’”
While Lume, a Michigan chain that draws customers back with deals and a referral program, and Elevated Exotics, with a bright, intriguing storefront located for lots of foot traffic, both report a high number of repeat local shoppers, The Fire Station at Island Resort and Casino is attractive to visitors. While they also enjoy a mixed bag of clients, Regional Manager Marsha Moffett describes it as a tourist attraction. She has seen a broad range of people walk through the doors, from tourists to residents. “Sometimes it’s a grandma looking for relief from aches and pains, but a lot wander over from the casino to spend their winnings.”
Now that the cannabis boom has brought several dispensaries to the area, with a near equal amount still in the planning phase (stuck on meeting the requirements for a Special Land Use Permit, state approval, etc.), some members of the public wonder whether market saturation is a concern for these new businesses. But none of the representatives contacted for this article seemed at all worried. All are optimistic about the future growth of the industry. At Nirvana, Escanaba’s newest dispensary, which opened just two weeks ago in the old Sayklly’s building on Lincoln Road, manager Ray Creapeau reports that the chain from Arizona has been welcomed with open arms. “Everyone’s been real supportive, real excited that we’re getting more diversity here as opposed to just one or two of the same shops. They’re excited for new product.”
And at Elevated Exotics, co-owner Neil Davis revealed that their primary location in Republic, which opened one year ago on Thursday, brings in fantastic revenue, and the Escanaba location, which has been on Ludington for two months, is even more popular.
Of course, the long-term impact of the industry’s presence remains to be seen. There has already been an influx of visitors to Escanaba who have come specifically to shop at the dispensaries — especially from Wisconsin, where cannabis is yet illegal — but many of them end up staying for the weekend and patronizing other local businesses.
Ed Legault, executive director of the Delta County Economic Development Alliance, predicts the area will see a more mature market in about five years. “The true economic impact of cannabis dispensaries in Delta County is too new to truly quantify right now.” Legault added the municipality can expect to receive an Adult-Use Marijuana Payment from the Michigan Department of Treasury based on the number of dispensaries in the area.
Vickie Micheau, executive director of the Delta County Chamber of Commerce, said two of the new businesses have recently joined the Chamber. Noting that interactions with them have been limited so far, she says, “I believe they will take advantage of the numerous benefits we provide to all 700 of our Chamber members.”
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