A second marijuana dispensary is opening in Hamtramck

Despite opposition from some in the community, Hamtramck is getting a second marijuana dispensary this week.

It's also the second dispensary for Quality Roots, which opened its first dispensary in Battle Creek last year. Quality Roots is expected to open its Hamtramck location on Thursday at 2024 Caniff St. for recreational adult-use customers.

Quality Roots is led by Aric Klar, whose family owned a large local pharmacy and the Toyology toy store in Royal Oak — experience the company says will translate to the cannabis industry. According to a press release, Quality Roots has one of the largest cannabis menus in the state, with numerous varieties of flower, pre-rolls, vape cartridges, edibles, concentrates, and CBD products.

The cannabis industry had a rough start in the multicultural enclave of Hamtramck, where the opening of the Pleasantrees dispensary in November was met with opposition from some of the city's Muslim leaders, who moved to prohibit future dispensaries in the two-square-mile city.

Those opposed to marijuana shops claimed Pleasantrees snuck in under the radar. In fact, Hamtramck City Council failed to formally opt out of allowing marijuana businesses, as Michigan Marijuana Regulatory Agency Director Andrew Brisbo advised communities to do, creating a window for Pleasantrees and Quality Roots to set up shop.

Hamtramck Mayor Karen Majewski has supported cannabis business in the city.

Quality Roots is also planning to open more medicinal and recreational dispensaries in 2021, including potential locations in Berkley, Royal Oak, Westland, and Pontiac.

Klar tells Metro Times that he's looking forward to opening the Berkley location as soon as possible, as it's a community where he has laid down his own roots. He says he bought his first home in the city.

The Berkley location will be at 3916 W. 11 Mile Road.

"We're very eager to hopefully see an uptick in future development on that road, and hope to [turn] that 11 Mile district to a new retail corridor for the city of Berkley," he says.

"We're just super excited and eager to get this site operational as fast as possible, so people can see how embedded we are in the cannabis community, how educated we are, and just show everybody the experience that they deserve," he says.

"We'll be rocking and rolling as fast as possible."

More information is available at getqualityroots.com.

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