Cannabis tourism means planning a trip, or part of one, around legal cannabis: visiting licensed stores, finding places where you can legally consume, and catching the culture and events. In adult-use states, adults 21 and older with valid ID can generally buy from licensed stores. The harder part is where to use it, since public consumption is banned and many hotels say no. This guide covers how to judge a destination, a short list worth planning around, Michigan included, and the laws that travel with you.
What cannabis tourism means and how it has grown
Legal adult-use sales are still fairly new. Colorado opened the first retail stores on January 1, 2014, and state after state has followed. In Michigan, licensed adult-use sales began on December 1, 2019, at three shops in Ann Arbor. Today travelers plan everything from a quick store stop on a road trip to long weekends built around cannabis-friendly lodging, lounges and festivals.
What has not changed is federal law. Adult-use cannabis remains a Schedule I drug at the federal level, and that shapes the rules for flying, crossing state lines and visiting national parks. More on that below.
How to judge a destination: legality, store access, places to consume, events
We built our shortlist on five criteria, and you can use the same ones for any trip:
- Legal adult use statewide for visitors 21 and older.
- Licensed stores that serve visitors with a valid government-issued ID.
- A legal place to consume, such as a licensed lounge or lodging that allows it in writing.
- Culture and events worth the trip on their own.
- Simple logistics. Driving distance matters, because you cannot bring cannabis home across state lines or carry it through airport security.
A destination that scores well on stores but poorly on places to consume can still work, as long as you plan where you will use what you buy.
A shortlist of U.S. destinations worth planning around
| Destination | Store access | Legal places to consume | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denver, Colorado | Retail sales since January 1, 2014 | Licensed hospitality businesses, where the city opts in | Check a venue's local approval |
| Las Vegas, Nevada | Adult-use stores | State-licensed consumption lounges, first fully licensed in 2024 | Check that a lounge is licensed and open |
| San Francisco and Oakland, California | Adult-use stores, 21+ | Both cities allow on-site consumption lounges | Elsewhere, private property only |
| Chicago, Illinois | Adult-use stores, 21+ | Lounges only where local government authorizes them | Visitors may carry half the resident limits |
| Michigan | Licensed stores in towns that allow them | Lounges need a state license and local approval | Lake towns, college towns, Detroit, Hash Bash |
Denver, Colorado
Colorado was the first state to open adult-use stores. A 2019 state law created licensed hospitality businesses where adults can consume, but each city has to approve them, so check a venue's local approval before you go.
Las Vegas, Nevada
Nevada lawmakers cleared the way for consumption lounges in 2021, and state regulators issued the first full lounge license in Las Vegas in February 2024. If a lounge is central to your plans, check that it is licensed and open before you book.
San Francisco and Oakland, California
California leaves on-site consumption to its cities and counties. A 2026 policy survey listed San Francisco and Oakland among the places that allow smoking lounges at licensed retailers. Outside such venues, California allows use only on private property, and most hotels do not allow it in rooms.
Chicago, Illinois
Illinois allows sales to anyone 21 or older, and its local governments may authorize consumption lounges, either at a dispensary or at a standalone retail tobacco store. As of October 2026, visitors may possess half of what residents can: 30 grams of flower, 500 mg of THC in infused products and 5 grams of concentrate. Use in any public place is illegal, and Illinois' own guidance says cannabis should not cross state lines.
Michigan as a destination: lake towns, college towns, Detroit, Hash Bash
Michigan has plenty to offer cannabis travelers 21 and older:
- Lake towns. New Buffalo sits on Lake Michigan at the state's first I-94 exit for drivers coming from Chicago and Indiana. Our New Buffalo store is right there, and our guide to visiting New Buffalo from Chicago covers the drive.
- College towns. Ann Arbor, East Lansing and Mount Pleasant draw visitors for big games, concerts and museums. High Society has stores in East Lansing and Mount Pleasant.
- Detroit. Music, food and sports make it a natural base, but store access depends on each municipality's local decisions, so check before you plan around a particular neighborhood.
- Hash Bash. Activists held the first Hash Bash on the University of Michigan Diag in Ann Arbor on April 1, 1972, in response to the sentencing of activist John Sinclair. It is still held on the first Saturday of April. It is a rally, not a pass for public use, which remains illegal in Michigan.
High Society has eight stores across Michigan, from Big Rapids and Mount Pleasant to Saline and New Buffalo.
Lounges and cannabis-friendly lodging: where you can actually use it
In Michigan, a business that lets people consume on site and charges entry, sells goods or services during consumption, or requires membership needs a state Designated Consumption Establishment license, and the local government must have authorized on-site consumption. That is why lounges are scattered rather than common. Our guide to cannabis lounges explains how they work.
For lodging:
- Michigan law lets property owners and managers, including hotels, prohibit cannabis use on their premises.
- Listings marketed as "420-friendly" vary widely. Some allow smoking outdoors only, some allow vaping or edibles in rooms, and some simply mean they are near stores. Get the policy in writing before you book.
- Private homes and rentals where the host allows it are the most predictable option.
Public places are off-limits in Michigan, including public parks, beaches and sidewalks. Our guide to where you can smoke in Michigan has the details.
Cannabis festivals and events
Festivals come and go, and dates and policies change from year to year, so check an event's official site before you buy tickets or travel. In Michigan, a ticketed event where cannabis is sold or consumed needs a state Temporary Marijuana Event license, and the local government must have authorized it. Before you go, find out:
- whether consumption is allowed on site, and exactly where
- whether the event is 21+ and checks ID at the gate
- what the ride, shuttle or lodging plan looks like
- what you can bring in, and what must stay sealed in the car
Hash Bash is Michigan's long-running cannabis rally, but as an event on a university campus, it does not change the state's ban on public consumption.
Trip checklist: ID, budget and taxes, ordering ahead for pickup
- ID: bring a valid, unexpired government-issued photo ID; Michigan stores check ID before every sale. At our New Buffalo store, valid government IDs from other states are accepted in most cases; bring yours and the front desk will check it.
- Budget and taxes: Michigan adult-use purchases carry a 10% excise tax plus the 6% sales tax, and the sales tax is figured on the price including the excise tax. On a $100 purchase, that is $10 in excise tax and $6.60 in sales tax.
- Payment: cash works at every High Society store; other options vary by store, so ask ahead.
- Order ahead: every High Society store offers online ordering for in-store or curbside pickup, which keeps a road-trip stop short.
- Packing: keep purchases sealed and out of reach while driving; the trunk is the cautious choice. Never use cannabis in a vehicle.
- Limits: adults 21 and older may carry as much as 2.5 ounces, with no more than 15 grams as concentrate.
Legal must-knows: no crossing state lines, no flying, no federal land, no driving high
- State lines: taking cannabis across a state line is illegal under federal law, even between two legal states, and Michigan law does not protect it. Indiana and Wisconsin also make possession a crime under their own laws. So enjoy responsibly in Michigan, and don't travel across state lines with cannabis.
- Flying: TSA officers do not search for drugs, but anything illegal they find is referred to law enforcement, and adult-use cannabis remains illegal under federal law. Our guide on flying with cannabis explains more.
- Federal land: Michigan's law does not protect you on federal land, such as Sleeping Bear Dunes or a national forest; federal law applies there.
- Driving: no one may use cannabis while driving, smoking in a vehicle on a public road is not allowed, and driving while impaired is against the law. Michigan has no numeric THC limit for drivers, but a separate zero-tolerance law bars driving with any amount of a Schedule 1 drug, a list that includes marijuana.
- Public use: not allowed in Michigan.
For the full set of state rules, see our Michigan cannabis laws page. 21+ only. Please consume responsibly.
