On November 3rd, the residents of Mottville Township, Michigan, will vote on whether to close the township’s two operating marijuana dispensaries. If the measure passes, Mottville would likely become the first municipality in Michigan to shut down dispensaries after they opened.

Mottville, a rural township with approximately 1,400 residents, is located in southern Michigan near the Michigan-Indiana border. WSBT reported that the township’s two dispensaries––The Dude Abides and Highatus––“both primarily serve customers from outside of Michigan.” Many of the dispensaries’ customers are residents of Ohio, Illinois, and Indiana, where marijuana is either more expensive or not legally sold.

The initiative, formally titled the Mottville Township Prohibition of Marihuana Establishments Ordinance, would close the township’s two dispensaries and prohibit new ones from opening.

“A deliberate lack of transparency”

The organizer explained that “locals were not made aware that the board was doing this,” describing a “deliberate lack of transparency.” According to the organizer, the Mottville Township Board did not properly publish the meeting minutes related to the approval of the two dispensaries, which prevented residents from sharing their opposition to them.

Based on their experience collecting signatures in support of the initiative, the organizer said that the “vast majority” of neighbors were in favor of the initiative and that “most people here do not want” the dispensaries. Although 29 signatures were needed for the initiative to qualify for the ballot, the campaign collected more than 70.

The organizer also believes that the opening of the dispensaries is responsible for increases in thefts and trespassing in the community, arguing that the township, which does not have a police department, “can’t support what it brings.”

Opposition to the initiative is coming from outside the community

The organizer said that the “businesses themselves are trying to guilt trip” residents by arguing that the township had already approved their dispensary licenses. The organizer added that many of the negative comments on social media about the upcoming vote in Mottville are from out-of-state customers. Many of the opponents are “not from here,” the organizer said.

The marijuana industry and its customers are the primary opponents of the upcoming vote in Mottville. The Dude Abides said on Facebook, “This is about protecting two existing businesses and the people who depend on them. You don’t have to support cannabis to support local jobs, responsible businesses, and revenue that can benefit our community.” The company argued that the initiative, if passed, would cost the township more than $100,000 in potential tax revenue each year.

The organizer disagreed: “$100,000 for the township is not worth what people are having to go through.”

Most Michigan communities have rejected dispensaries

Proposal 1, the 2018 ballot measure that legalized recreational marijuana in the Wolverine State, permitted municipalities to ban marijuana dispensaries within their jurisdictions. The ballot measure received nearly 56% of the votes statewide and 52% (240 of 459) of the votes in Mottville.

More than two-thirds of the municipalities in Michigan do not have marijuana dispensaries. As of 2024, 74% (1,371 of 1,856) of the local governments in Michigan prohibited recreational marijuana dispensaries, indicating the 485 allowed them, according to the Cannabis Business Times. Even fewer municipalities actually have dispensaries. A March 2026 press release from the state noted that 313 local and county governments in Michigan would receive funding from the Marijuana Regulation Fund for having dispensaries.

Although the Mottville Township would likely represent the first municipality in Michigan to vote to close dispensaries after they opened, Niles Township voted in November 2025 to prohibit dispensaries after they had been approved. The Niles Township, which is located approximately 30 miles west of Mottville, approved 30 dispensary applications within a period of 2 months. After pushback from the community, 58% of voters opted to ban them before any opened.

Outcomes associated with dispensaries

The pushback in the Mottville and Niles Townships reflect growing hesitancy toward the commercialization of marijuana, which has coincided with increases in the use and misuse of marijuana. In St. Joseph County, which includes Mottville, the percentage of high school students who used marijuana in the past 30 days increased from 12.8% in 2018 to 14.8% in 2022, according to the Michigan Profile of Healthy Youth. The percentage of residents aged 12 or older in Michigan with cannabis use disorder, better known as addiction to marijuana, increased from 7.6% in 2021–2022 to 9.0% in 2023–2024, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

Michigan Public reported in April 2025 that the Michigan Poison & Drug Information Center received 387 reports of children under the age of 6 ingesting or being exposed to cannabis in 2024, which represented the highest number on record. Among these children, 105 were hospitalized and 23 required critical care.

This trend is in part due to the sale of marijuana-infused products that appeal to children, though the state prohibits edible products from being packaged in ways that would appeal to them.

The Highatus dispensary in Mottville sells edibles with names like “Sunburst Peach Gummies,” “Caramel Potcorn,” and “Chocolate Covered Vanilla Sandwich Cookies.” The Dude Abides’ page on Weedmaps highlights the following products, which could potentially be perceived as candy by unknowing toddlers:

Bridge Michigan noted that St. Joseph County had a rate of 3.12 dispensaries per 10,000 people, while many non-border counties, such as Kent and Lapeer, had a rate closer to 1. With 2 dispensaries and a population of approximately 1,400 people, Mottville has a rate of approximately 14 dispensaries per 10,000 people, which is more than four times greater than the county’s rate and likely one of the highest rates in the state.

Looking ahead

Mottville voters will decide the fate of the township’s two dispensaries on November 3rd. If the initiative passes, it will illustrate that residents are increasingly skeptical of the marijuana industry and displeased with the way local officials brought it into their community.