New marijuana grow facility that bills itself as Michigan's first fully Black-owned breaks ground

A new marijuana grow operation that broke ground in Inkster on Friday claims to be Michigan's first to be fully Black-owned.

The 25,500 square foot facility is owned by Michigan Agricultural Services, LLC (MAS), which was founded by Detroit natives Mark Stockdale and Sahir Al-Salam. It will include a high-tech indoor commercial cannabis grow and processing facility.

"We believe that in order for the cannabis industry to survive it has to be diversified," Stockdale said in a statement. "It's time for everybody to grow economically, and cannabis is a pathway for us to build wealth and invest in our communities."

While Michigan's marijuana industry is booming, posting record sales last month, a study from the state's Marijuana Regulatory Agency (MRA) found that Black people are being left out. Black people make up 13.7% of the state’s population, but the MRA found only 3.8% of Michigan residents with an ownership interest in licensed recreational marijuana businesses are Black. Nearly 80% of the people interested in ownership were white.

"We have the opportunity to help create jobs and partnerships for our communities to thrive in this industry," Salam said. "Let’s work together and build something great."

MAS has partnered with Isle Verde Staffing to host a job search on June 1 for residents interested in growing or working on the construction build-out. More information is available at islaverdestaffing.com.

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