Michigan Marijuana Laws: What Adults and Patients Should Know

Michigan legalized cannabis in two steps, both by a vote of the people. The Michigan Medical Marihuana Act of 2008 created the medical program and its patient registry. Ten years later, the Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marihuana Act made cannabis legal under state law for adults 21 and older, starting December 6, 2018.

Both programs are overseen by the Cannabis Regulatory Agency (CRA), part of the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. The CRA licenses adult-use and medical businesses, runs the patient registry and regulates hemp processing. You will see the older spelling “marihuana” in Michigan’s statutes and official documents.

Adult-use stores sell only to adults 21 and older. Before every sale, the store must check a valid driver’s license or other government-issued photo ID showing that you are 21 or older. Registered medical patients buy from licensed provisioning centers by showing their registry card and a photo ID.

A licensed adult-use store may sell you no more than 2.5 ounces in a single transaction, and no more than 15 grams of that as concentrate. It may also sell up to 3 immature plants per transaction. Registered patients may buy up to 2.5 ounces a day and 10 ounces a month, tracked in the state’s monitoring system.

Each Michigan city, village or township decides whether to allow cannabis businesses at all, so licensed stores exist only where local government permits them. Buy from a licensed store: in Michigan, cannabis over 0.3% THC (counting THCA) is marijuana that only licensed businesses may sell.

Adults 21 and older may possess, carry and transport up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis, with no more than 15 grams of it as concentrate.

At home, the limit is 10 ounces plus whatever your own plants produce. Anything over 2.5 ounces at home must be stored in a container or area with locks or other security devices.

Adults may grow up to 12 plants for personal use. The cap is per residence, not per person: no more than 12 plants on the premises at once, out of public view and in an enclosed area with a lock.

You may also give up to 2.5 ounces, no more than 15 grams of it as concentrate, to another adult 21 or older, as long as nothing is received in return and the gift is not advertised or promoted to the public.

Going over the limits is mostly a civil fine for modest amounts: up to $500 for a first violation when you hold no more than twice the limit, rising to a misdemeanor on a third violation or when you hold more than twice the limit.

Michigan law does not allow using cannabis in a public place, and property owners may ban smoking or use on their property, hotels included. The exception is an area a city or township has authorized for consumption, closed to anyone under 21. A business that lets people consume on site and charges for entry, sells goods or services during consumption or requires membership needs its own state license and local approval.

Cannabis and accessories are not allowed on the grounds of any preschool or K-12 school, on a school bus or on the grounds of a correctional facility.

If you rent, your landlord may ban or limit cannabis on the property, but a lease may not forbid a tenant from lawfully possessing cannabis and consuming it by means other than smoking.

The practical answer: enjoy cannabis at home, or on private property where the owner allows it.

No one may use cannabis while driving or in control of a motor vehicle, motorboat, snowmobile, off-road vehicle or aircraft, and smoking is not allowed in a vehicle’s passenger area on a public road.

Michigan has no numeric THC limit like the 0.08 alcohol limit. It bans driving while under the influence, and a separate zero-tolerance law bars driving with any amount of a Schedule 1 drug in your body, a list that includes marijuana. Registered medical patients are judged on whether they were actually under the influence. For adults 21 and older who are not patients, the Michigan Judicial Institute says it is unclear how the courts will apply these rules. A first offense under the zero-tolerance law is a misdemeanor that can bring up to 93 days in jail, a fine of $100 to $500, six points and a 180-day license suspension.

When you carry cannabis in a vehicle, the cautious practice is to keep it sealed and out of reach, such as in the trunk. An older Michigan law requires usable marijuana in a vehicle to travel in a case in the trunk, and it is not clear whether that law still applies to adult-use drivers.

Since 2025, the smell of cannabis alone is no longer enough for Michigan police to search a vehicle, though it can be one factor among others.

The simplest rule of all: if you have used cannabis, do not drive.

Cannabis purchases are legal in Michigan, but transporting cannabis across state lines is prohibited under federal law. That holds even between two states where cannabis is legal: Michigan’s law does not protect it, and as of October 2026 federal law still lists adult-use marijuana in Schedule I. Possessing a controlled substance without federal authorization is a federal crime.

Michigan’s neighbors add their own rules. Indiana and Wisconsin make possession a crime, Ohio now allows only cannabis bought from its own licensed dispensaries or legally home-grown, and Illinois’ own guidance says cannabis should not cross state lines. Our Indiana and Illinois guides have the details.

Federal land. Michigan’s law does not protect anyone on federal land, such as Sleeping Bear Dunes or a national forest. Federal law applies there, so leave cannabis at home.

Airports. TSA officers do not search for drugs, but anything illegal they find is referred to law enforcement, and adult-use marijuana remains illegal under federal law. Do not plan on flying with cannabis.

Adult-use purchases carry a 10% excise tax plus Michigan’s 6% sales tax, and the sales tax is figured on the price including the excise tax. On a $100 adult-use purchase, that is $10 of excise tax and $6.60 of sales tax.

Medical sales to registered patients, including visiting patients with a valid card from another state, skip the 10% excise tax; only the 6% sales tax applies.

Since January 1, 2026, Michigan also levies a 24% wholesale tax on adult-use cannabis. The tax is owed by the grower, processor or other business that makes the first sale to a retailer, which may pass the cost on to the store. The money goes to the state’s neighborhood road fund. Industry lawsuits challenging the tax were still in the courts in 2026.

Every cannabis product sold in Michigan must be sealed and labeled. The label lists the THC and CBD content, the lab that tested it and the test date, the state’s universal THC symbol and the required warnings, among them a warning that driving while under the influence is against the law, and the number for Poison Control.

Edibles come in opaque, child-resistant packaging. They may not be shaped like people, animals or fruit, and the packaging may not use the word “candy”. Adult-use edibles are capped at 10 mg of THC per dose and 200 mg per package; medical edibles may hold up to 50 mg per dose. Cannabis beverages are capped at 10 mg per dose and 100 mg per container.

Michigan counts THCA as THC: cannabis over 0.3% THC, THCA included, is marijuana that only licensed businesses may sell. Delta-8 THC counts as marijuana too, and since October 11, 2021 only CRA-licensed businesses may sell it. Our guide to reading a cannabis label shows where each detail sits on the package.

• Work. Employers do not have to allow cannabis at work. They may enforce drug policies, discipline workers or refuse to hire someone over a policy violation, and a medical card does not change that for private employers.
• Rentals. Landlords may ban or limit cannabis on their property, though a lease may not forbid lawful possession and use by means other than smoking.
• Family. A parent may not be denied custody or parenting time for legal cannabis use unless it creates an unreasonable danger to the child that can be clearly shown.
• Probation. Since a 2026 Michigan Supreme Court ruling, courts may not ban legal adult-use cannabis as a probation condition just because it is illegal under federal law.
• Local rules. Each city, village or township may ban cannabis businesses or limit how many it allows, but it may not restrict transporting cannabis through the community.
• Under 21. For a person under 21, holding up to 2.5 ounces is a civil infraction, with a fine of up to $100 for a first violation.

Questions about clearing an old cannabis record? See our article on Michigan marijuana expungement.