Two days after a judge dismissed a pair of lawsuits challenging Detroit’s adult-use cannabis ordinance, the city has opened applications for the first phase of the business licensing process.

City officials announced Aug. 31 that they will begin accepting applications Sept. 1 for adult-use cannabis retail, microbusiness and designated consumption establishment licenses. The application period remains open through Oct. 1.

Business hopefuls can visit www.homegrowndetroit.org to apply.

Detroit plans to issue a total of 160 licenses over three phases of applications, according to the city’s announcement.

Half of the licenses will be awarded to social equity applicants, which are defined as businesses that are at least 51% owned by Detroit residents or individuals who live in other communities disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs.

The city will issue 60 licenses in the first phase of applications, including 40 for retail, 10 for microbusinesses—which will allow small, vertically integrated businesses to grow and process up to 150 plants and sell the end products to adult consumers—and 10 for consumption lounges.

Michigan launched adult-use cannabis sales in December 2019, and Detroit City Council approved its adult-use ordinance in April 2022, nearly 10 months after a U.S. district judge issued an injunction to block the city’s previous attempt to license adult-use cannabis businesses within its jurisdiction.

Two separate lawsuits were filed by medical cannabis operators to challenge the ordinance, but Detroit’s licensing process can proceed now that a judge has upheld it.

City officials plan to roll out two additional phases of licensing on to-be-determined dates; during each of the next two phases, 30 retail, 10 microbusiness and 10 consumption lounge licenses will be awarded.

“I am thankful for the most recent court ruling which allows the city to begin accepting applications for licensing in our limited adult-use categories,” City Council President Pro-Tem James Tate said in a public statement. “Getting to this point has been an overly protracted process dating back to 2020 when the first ordinance was unanimously approved by Detroit City Council. Now with the lawsuits and the failed ballot initiatives seeking to overturn our ordinance behind us, Detroiters and other equity applicants will have a fair opportunity to compete for adult-use licenses in a city that welcomes all to participate in the muti-million-dollar adult-use cannabis industry."

(CHAFFEE, MO) -- PRESS RELEASE -- Organic Remedies MO, Inc., a cultivator and producer of medical cannabis products for the Missouri market, today announced an exclusive licensing agreement with TYSON 2.0, a cannabis brand formed with iconic boxer, entertainer and entrepreneur Mike Tyson.

The agreement will grant Organic Remedies exclusive licensing rights in Missouri to the TYSON brand which includes the company’s second celebrity in-house brand, Ric Flair Drip Cannabis, acquired by TYSON 2.0 in March of 2022. The partnership will also provide access to TYSON 2.0 and Ric Flair Drip Cannabis’ outstanding selection of genetics for cultivation at the Organic Remedies cultivation facility in Chaffee, Mo. Organic Remedies’ high-tech facility comprises approximately 30,000 square feet of indoor cultivation and over 10,000 square feet of processing and production space.

Dedicated to creating jobs and assisting in the economic revitalization of the local community, Organic Remedies' mission is to grow, manufacture, and dispense the highest quality medical cannabis products to improve the quality of life, comfort, and well-being for patients in Missouri.

“We are very excited for the opportunity to partner with TYSON 2.0,” commented Mark Toigo, CEO of Organic Remedies. “With our commitment to unlocking the untapped potential of medical cannabis therapies, combined with TYSON’s innovative and high-quality cannabis products, we will continue to be leaders in Missouri by providing a superior patient experience.”

Mike Tyson has been a long-time advocate for cannabis and has been candid about the benefits of the plant and its impact on his own life. Launched in November 2021, the company’s mission is to produce innovative, high-quality cannabis products known for their purity, precision, and wide accessibility. TYSON 2.0 offers proprietary strains, flower, concentrates and edibles at a range of price points.

To date, TYSON 2.0 products are available for purchase at dispensaries and retail locations across Colorado, California, Nevada, Massachusetts, Michigan, Illinois, Delaware, Washington D.C., Ohio, Maryland, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Washington, and select provinces in Canada, with plans to expand in additional regions through Q3 and beyond.

“Thanks to our new partners at Organic Remedies, medical patients across the state of Missouri will soon get to experience the highest quality cannabis products available in the market cultivated with TYSON 2.0’s top-rated genomes,” said Mike Tyson, Co-Founder and Chief Brand Officer of TYSON 2.0.

“Through our strategic partnership with Organic Remedies, Missouri’s leading medical cannabis cultivator and producer, we look forward to expanding our nationwide footprint and bringing the highest quality of TYSON 2.0 products to Missouri patients in need,” said Chad Bronstein, co-founder, president, and chairman of TYSON 2.0. “Registered patients in Missouri will soon have access to the full selection of premium TYSON 2.0 and Ric Flair Drip Cannabis products to enhance their health and wellbeing."