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