C3's massive new marijuana facility should help with Michigan's weed shortage

It seems like you can't roll out a recreational marijuana system without running into a shortage of supplies. Illinois started recreational sales on Jan. 1, and there are already reports of a severe weed shortage there. Michigan opened up recreational sales on Dec. 1, with reports of a weed shortage. Some retail owners with licenses are delaying recreational sales until they can find a reliable supply.

Canadian legalization was plagued by a shortage for over a year before it eased up. This leads to one definitive conclusion: people want to buy the stuff. People like marijuana. They will stand in line for hours to buy it. They will drive to nearby states to buy it. They will pay arguably high prices for it.

We need more marijuana here now. That makes it welcome news that C3 Industries announced their 7,000-plant, 36,000-square-foot indoor grow facility in Webberville is now up and operating.

C3 (Cloud Cover Cannabis) is licensed to grow only medical marijuana, but anything in the system helps to ease the overall supply. If medical marijuana has been in inventory for 30 days, retail licensees can then switch it to the recreational side for sales, though some retail owners are reluctant to sell recreational marijuana if it cuts into supplies for medical patients.

As of now C3 has the High Profile provisioning center open in Detroit, and its owners expect to be licensed for medical sales in Ann Arbor soon.

The Marijuana Regulatory Agency is steadily handing out licenses for recreational production and sales. As of Tuesday, there are 54 licensed recreational marijuana businesses in the state. Exactly half of them, 27, are retail stores — but none of them are in Detroit, due to the city opting out of the system (for now).

It's a new era for marijuana in Michigan. Sign up for our weekly weed newsletter, delivered every Tuesday at 4:20 p.m.