Every week someone stands in our parking lot for a minute working up to it, and every week we wish we could hand them this page first. Walking into a dispensary for the first time is easier than most people expect, and the whole checklist fits in one breath: be 21 or older, bring a valid government-issued photo ID, and bring cash or a debit card. That is it. No medical card, no appointment, no registration, no paperwork, no membership. You walk in, someone checks your ID, you shop, you pay, you drive home. Everything below reflects Michigan law as of July 2026, with the actual rules linked so you don't have to take our word for anything.
- Be 21 or older. Every adult-use sale in Michigan requires it. No exceptions, no workarounds.
- Bring a valid government photo ID. An out-of-state driver's license works. So does a passport.
- Bring cash or a debit card. Credit cards generally do not work at dispensaries, here or anywhere.
What happens at the door.
The first thing that happens at any licensed Michigan dispensary is an ID check, and it happens to everyone, every visit. The state's Cannabis Regulatory Agency requires retailers to verify, before any sale, that a customer is 21 or older using a valid driver's license or government-issued identification card with a photo, and the rules describe it as government-issued photographic identification containing a date of birth.1 So when we card the seventy-year-old in line behind the twenty-two-year-old, it is not a judgment call about how old anyone looks. It is the rule, and it is the same rule at every licensed store in the state.
Two honest notes on IDs. The rule doesn't name passports specifically, but any valid government-issued photo ID that shows your date of birth works, and a passport is exactly that. And the rule says valid, which means an expired license doesn't get you in, even if you are obviously over 21. Check the date on your ID before you drive over; it is the single most common reason a first visit ends at the front counter.
What you can buy.
Michigan's rules cap an adult-use purchase at 2.5 ounces of marijuana in a single transaction, of which no more than 15 grams may be concentrate.1 If you are curious about growing your own, a retailer can also sell you up to 3 immature plants per transaction.1 For a first visit, you will be nowhere near any of those numbers; a couple of pre-rolls or a pack of low-dose gummies is a normal first basket.
One precision worth having: the limit is written per transaction, not per day. But before anyone gets clever, 2.5 ounces is also the most an adult may legally possess or transport outside the home under Michigan law.2 Buy the maximum at one store and then the maximum at another, and you are over the legal carry limit the moment you leave the second parking lot. The purchase cap and the carry cap are the same number. Don't stack.
Visiting the Sunrise Coast from out of state? You're welcome here.
Plenty of our summer customers are up from Ohio or over from Wisconsin, and the answer to the question they ask quietly at the counter is yes: out-of-state adults can buy at a Michigan dispensary. There is no residency requirement anywhere in Michigan's adult-use law or in the sales rules; the law conditions the sale on being 21 with valid ID, and nothing else.2
The hard rule sits at the border. Michigan's own regulators put it in one sentence: "Individuals cannot cross state lines with marijuana."4 That is federal law, and it applies no matter which direction you are headed or how legal cannabis is on the other side; adult-use marijuana remains federally illegal.5 And one gentle heads-up for our Ohio friends: in 2026 Ohio tightened its own law (Senate Bill 56) so that cannabis bought out of state can land Ohioans in trouble back home.6 The friendly version of all of this: what you buy here, enjoy here.
Paying, and what is actually on your receipt.
Dispensaries run on cash and debit, and there is a real reason it isn't credit. Because adult-use marijuana remains federally illegal, federal guidance requires banks to file special reports on cannabis-related transactions, and many financial institutions simply decline to offer normal payment services to cannabis businesses.78 Major card networks don't process cannabis purchases.8 None of that is a Michigan quirk or a dispensary choice; it is the same at licensed stores nationwide. Bring cash or your debit card and checkout works like anywhere else.
Your receipt will show two taxes: Michigan's 10% adult-use excise tax9 plus the standard 6% sales tax.10 One honest footnote, because you may have seen headlines: a new 24% wholesale tax on adult-use marijuana took effect January 1, 2026. It is charged upstream, at the first sale from a wholesaler to a retailer, so it is not a line on your receipt.10 Industry court challenges to that tax are ongoing.11
Talking to the budtender.
You do not need vocabulary. You do not need to know a strain name, a terpene, or what any acronym stands for. The most useful thing you can say at the counter is plain English about what you want and what you want to avoid: "something mellow for after work, and I don't want to feel foggy tomorrow" is a better order than any product name. That is the whole job of the person behind the counter, and around here they take it seriously.
Our house philosophy for first-timers is simple: start low. We have written the longer, research-cited version of that conversation in What 2.5mg actually feels like, and if you are tempted to shop by the biggest number on the label, read why our budtenders don't shop by THC percentage first. Short version: the label number is not the experience, and a modest start is the one decision that makes almost every first experience better.
Taking it home.
Keep your purchase sealed in the bag for the ride home. There is no statutory sealed-container rule for lawful adult-use amounts, so treat that as best practice rather than a legal requirement, but what is clear is that you cannot consume in the car: the Michigan Supreme Court has noted that the law does not authorize smoking marijuana in the passenger area of a vehicle on a public street, or consuming it in any public place.12 The unopened bag on the seat is legal cargo. The opened one is a decision you make at home.
At home, the numbers are generous. You may keep up to 10 ounces at your residence, and anything over 2.5 ounces must be stored in a locked container or a locked area.23 A lockbox is a cheap, sensible habit anyway, especially with kids or guests in the house. And Michigan's law has a genuinely neighborly clause: you may give away up to 2.5 ounces (with the same 15-gram concentrate cap) to another adult 21 or older, as long as no money changes hands and the transfer isn't advertised or promoted.2 Sharing with a friend is legal; selling to one is not.
Last one-liner for the curious: medical marijuana is its own separate program, with a state registry card and its own limits. Adult-use, the thing this whole guide is about, needs nothing from you but a valid ID.1
Quick questions, plain answers.
Do I need a medical card?
No. Adult-use requires only that you are 21 or older with a valid government-issued photo ID. Medical marijuana is a separate program with its own card and its own limits; you don't need any of it to shop adult-use.
Can visitors from out of state buy?
Yes. There is no residency requirement anywhere in Michigan's adult-use law. Any adult 21 or older with valid ID can buy. Taking it across state lines is prohibited under federal law, so enjoy it while you are in Michigan.
Can I use a passport as ID?
The rule doesn't name passports, but any valid government-issued photo ID that shows your date of birth works, and a passport is exactly that. An out-of-state driver's license works too.
How much can I buy?
Up to 2.5 ounces per transaction, of which no more than 15 grams may be concentrate, plus up to 3 immature plants. Remember that 2.5 ounces is also the legal carry limit, so buying the maximum twice in one trip puts you over it.
Why cash or debit and not credit?
Adult-use marijuana remains federally illegal, which creates federal reporting obligations for banks that handle cannabis money, and major card networks don't process cannabis purchases. Cash and debit are the norm at licensed stores nationwide.
Can I take it home to Ohio or Wisconsin?
No. Michigan's regulators state it plainly: individuals cannot cross state lines with marijuana. That is federal law regardless of destination, and Ohio tightened its own law in 2026 (Senate Bill 56), so bringing product home can create trouble under Ohio law as well.
What if my ID is expired?
The rule requires a valid ID, and an expired one is not valid, so expect to be turned away even if you are clearly over 21. Check the date before you drive over.
Come on in. Or just roll up to the window.
That is the whole thing: ID, cash or debit, and an honest sentence about what you are looking for. Both of our stores have drive-through windows, so if walking in still feels like a lot for a first visit, you can do the entire transaction from the driver's seat. Find us on M-61 in Standish or on US-23 in Au Gres, open 9 to 9 every day. For hours, ordering, and everything we didn't cover here, see the full FAQ or our locations page.