‘Weed City’ Pushback: New Buffalo Crackdown Sparks Legal Fight
A series of lawsuits was quickly filed by stores in Berrien County Circuit Court
A Michigan border town popular with Chicagoans is trying to rein in its booming cannabis market — but dispensaries are fighting back in court.
A Michigan border town popular with Chicagoans is trying to rein in its booming cannabis market — but dispensaries are fighting back in court.
The fight underscores how New Buffalo Township became one of the Midwest’s hottest cannabis markets, fueled by bargain-hunting customers from Illinois and prohibition in Indiana — and how local officials are now scrambling to curb a stampede they helped create.
The small community near the Indiana border earlier this year began staging a pushback against legal cannabis stores.
The township’s board reversed course and moved to revoke special land use permits of weed shops that are in violation of state regulations, sparking a volley of lawsuits that ground local opposition to a halt.
Now, a judge has allowed the township to resume its power play — but the fight is anything but over.
Swift court challenge
Last month, the township board targeted several weed stores in the community — Mint Cannabis, The Refinery Dispensary New Buffalo, The Plug New Buffalo, Trap Stars Outlet and Bloomery Cannabis — with a planned hearing on March 24 to make the final decisions on whether to revoke their permits.
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