Dozens line up for marijuana licensing applications in Redford Township
REDFORD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - After months of preparation and deliberation, Redford Township will begin to accept applications for marijuana dispensaries two weeks from Thursday.
Prospective business owners have already expressed great interest.
Redford Township leaders say a line for marijuana licensing applications began to form outside their offices a week ago.
"People have been to concerts, and they stand in line overnight. I've just never seen anybody stand in line for this amount of time," Pat McRae, Redford Charter Township Supervisor, said.
Many of the folks are getting paid by those potential applicants, and hopefuls work shifts 24/7 but aren't allowed to set up a village or leave the line.
"They've apparently done this before, so they're kind of policing themselves. They've been taking pictures of each other to see who's in line. There's a camera on the outside of the building for security, so we, you know, if there's any disputes, that we can be able to look at that," McRae said.
Redford Township is not putting a limit on the number of dispensaries that can open up.
The licenses will be given out based on buffer zones, meaning dispensaries can't open too close to each other and they can't be close to a school, a daycare, a park or a church.
"The revenue will be good. I don't think it's going to be super; I think it's gonna be good revenue. When the facilities and other communities have opened up, they've fixed up buildings; they're pristine. Security is very high around them, so it should be a benefit in that way," McRae said.
Michigan's marijuana market is booming. According to the regulatory agency, last month, the state set a new monthly sales record, selling over $295 million worth of marijuana.
Michigan is now on track to hit over $3.3 billion in sales this year, with prices remaining low.
Jerry Millen, owner of Greenhouse of Walled Lake, one of the first in Metro Detroit to obtain a license to sell marijuana, first medicinally, then recreationally, told CBS News Detroit there are too many licenses in the area, and when this happens, consumers spread out, looking for the best deal.
"A lot of stores that open now they're not getting customers. And if you open a store and you get 20 people a day coming in, what do you do? How do you turn that around? And what a lot of places are doing is they're trying to give product away, and the prices are so cheap that they're losing money. You can't lose money in a business continually and continually have a business," Millen said.
It costs $5,000 to apply for a license in Redford Township, and the review process takes at least six to eight weeks.
The clerk's office will start accepting applications on Oct. 3 at 9 a.m.
