Mayor Mike Duggan, alongside Councilmember James Tate and Civil Rights and inclusion Office Director Charity Dean, held a press conference to outline the application process for adult-use recreation for marijuana license for Detroiters. The program, known as Legacy Detroiter, allows Detroit residents to apply for certification to be a licensed cannabis business in the city.
“It’s an industry that is brand new in the city of Detroit and we have an opportunity to make sure that it works on behalf of the residents,” Tate says.
Under the Legacy Detroiter licensing program, approved applicants can receive 50 percent of all new recreational marijuana business licensing for retailers, growers, processors, microbusinesses, consumption, and marijuana event organizers. As an added benefit, there will be a six-week period during which Legacy Detroiter applicants will be reviewed before general applications.
Under the program, Detroit City Council approved 75 licenses for dispensaries and retail establishments, 35 licenses for consumption lounges and microbusinesses, and an unlimited amount of licensing for cannabis events, those seeking to grow, process, or transport marijuana.
To qualify for the Detroit Legacy licensing program, Detroit residents must first become pre-qualified through the State of Michigan and the Marijuana Regulatory Agency. Applicants must also pay a $6,000 fee. However, residents of Detroit can look forward to a significant reduction in cost.
“If you are qualified in a social equity program. Social equity programs include living in designated areas like Detroit, which gets you a significant discount. If you are of lower-income, you get a significant discount,” Mayor Duggan explains. “If you or your family member were affected by a marijuana prosecution, you get a significant discount. There’s a very great chance if you’re applying to be a Detroit Legacy applicant, that $6,000 dollars state fee will be significantly reduced.”
Applicants can begin the prequalification process through the State as early as December 9th. The next step, starting January 19th, applicants can become certified as a Detroit Legacy applicant through the Civil Rights and Inclusion Office, or CRIO, for the city of Detroit. In April of 2021, applicants can apply for a Detroit Legacy license through BSEED, the Business Safety Engineering and Environmental Department. Distribution of licensing will begin May 1st. Applicants outside of Detroit city limits can expect license distribution in June.
“That’s our timeline. Those are the people who get in first. That’s what they’re looking at,” Mayor Mike Duggan explains.
To become an individual member of the Detroit Legacy program, applicants must show proof of residency in Detroit. All applicants must have lived in Detroit for at least a year from the time of application and must have lived in Detroit for 15 of the last 30 years, or 13 of the last 30 if considered low income. For applicants with a marijuana conviction or a parent with a marijuana conviction, proof of Detroit residency for 10 of the previous 30 years is required.
Business legacy certification is also possible if the business is owned and controlled by 51 percent of legacy certification individuals. Both companies and individuals can apply for legacy certification with CRIO before the official receipt of State prequalification. Following these approvals, applicants can apply for their business license through BSEED. They must provide a 1,000 dollar application fee, a detailed business plan, three years of income tax returns, a background check and property tax clearance, including blight clearance, and an address for the business.
“We’re going to ask for supporting documentation for each one of those criteria, and then we will begin processing the application,” Dean says. “The same for the businesses owned and controlled by 51 percent.”
BSEED offers provisional licensing approved for one year if all other qualifications are met, and applications have yet to secure an address for the business. Detroit applicants can also purchase the property through the city for their business at a drastic reduction.
“If there is a city-owned property that you think is an appropriate location, you can buy it from the city with a 75 percent discount of Fair Market value,” Mayor Duggan says.
The initiative was approved in late November and passed with a 9-0 vote from Detroit City Council.
“I’ve been very impressed by the amount of work that the various departments have engaged in getting the city of Detroit ready for this huge life,” Tate shares.
Discounts are applicable for residents of Detroit. Applicants outside of the city limits are responsible for all licensing and purchasing fees. For more information or to apply for Legacy Detroiter licensing, visit detroitmeansbusiness.org.
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