All the places in Michigan you can and can't buy recreational weed when business opens in December

Recreational use of cannabis was approved in Michigan last year, but sales of the substance won't kick off until the beginning of December. Despite its new status, the sale of marijuana won't be available everywhere in Michigan.

In fact, it won't be available for sale in most places in Michigan.

Of the 1,773 cities, villages and townships that dot Michigan, almost 1,400 of them have opted out of letting marijuana businesses set up shop - that's more than 78 percent of all locations in Michigan.

While communities are still adding themselves to the list, it took less than two weeks before cities opted out of their sale. After Michigan voters approved the legal recreational use of marijuana by a 55 to 44 percent margin, cities like Troy and Royal Oak passed ordinances forbidding marijuana retail stores from opening within their respective city limits.

Other cities that more recently decided to join that list include Allen Park, Walled Lake, and Keego Harbor - all of which voted against the measure by wide margins. Lincoln Park was the only city to vote 'yes' during this November election:

  • Lincoln Park Voted yes 1,751 - 1,374
  • Allen Park - Voted no 3,051 - 1,921
  • Walled Lake - Voted no 886 - 596
  • Keego Harbor - Voted no 309 - 163

Sales of marijuana got the green light earlier than expected, with the Marijuana Regulatory Agency announcing mid-November that businesses could start selling cannabis for recreational use Dec. 1. Residents can expect to find pot shops open in Ferndale, Warren, Pontiac, Ypsilanti, and Ann Arbor in the near future, but not many other places. It's likely as the MRA continues to refine regulations for how marijuana businesses operate, ordinances that outlaw them may become more lenient.

But until then, options will remain limited. You can find the unofficial list compiled by the MRA of areas that have opted out, which was updated as of recently as Nov. 8 here. You can also check a list of and metro municipalities below:

Macomb County municipalities:

  • Armada Township
  • Village of Armada
  • Bruce Township
  • Center Line
  • Chesterfield Charter Township
  • Clinton Charter Township
  • Eastpointe
  • Harrison Charter Township
  • Lenox Township
  • Macomb Township
  • Mt. Clemens
  • Memphis
  • New Baltimore
  • New Haven
  • Ray Township
  • Richmond
  • Richmond Township
  • Roseville
  • Shelby Charter Township
  • St. Clair Shores
  • Sterling Heights
  • Utica
  • Washington Charter Township

Oakland County municipalities:

  • Addison Township
  • Auburn Hills
  • Berkley
  • Beverly Hills
  • Village of Bingham Farms
  • Birmingham
  • Bloomfield Hills
  • Bloomfield Township
  • Brandon Township
  • Clarkston
  • Clawson
  • Commerce Charter Township
  • Farmington
  • Farmington Hills
  • Franklin
  • Groveland Township
  • Highland Charter Township
  • Village of Holly
  • Holly Township
  • Huntington Woods
  • Independence Township
  • Keego Harbor
  • Lathrup Village
  • Leonard
  • Lyon Township
  • Milford
  • Milford Township
  • Northville
  • Novi
  • Oak Park
  • Oakland Charter Township
  • Orchard Lake
  • Village of Oxford
  • Oxford Charter Township
  • Pleasant Ridge
  • Rochester
  • Rochester Hills
  • Rose Township
  • Royal Oak
  • Royal Oak Charter Township
  • South Lyon
  • Southfield
  • Southfield Township
  • Springfield Charter Township
  • Sylvan Lake
  • Troy
  • Waterford Charter Township
  • West Bloomfield Charter Township
  • White Lake Charter Township
  • Wixom
  • Wolverine Lake

Washtenaw County municipalities

  • Ann Arbor Charter Township
  • Augusta Charter Township
  • Village of Barton Hills
  • Bridgewater Township
  • Chelsea
  • Dexter
  • Freedom Township
  • Lima Township
  • Lodi Township
  • Lyndon Township
  • Manchester Township
  • Village of Manchester
  • Milan
  • Northfield Township
  • Pittsfield Charter Township
  • Salem Township
  • Saline
  • Scio Township
  • Sharon Township
  • Superior Charter Township
  • Sylvan Township
  • Webster Township
  • York Charter Township
  • Ypsilanti Charter Township

Wayne County municipalities:

  • Allen Park
  • Brownstown Charter Township
  • Canton Charter Township
  • Dearborn
  • Dearborn Heights
  • Ecorse
  • Flat Rock
  • Garden City
  • Gibraltar
  • Grosse Ile Township
  • Grosse Pointe
  • Grosse Pointe Park
  • Grosse Pointe Shores
  • Grosse Pointe Woods
  • Harper Woods
  • Huron Charter Township
  • Livonia
  • Northville
  • Northville Charter Township
  • Plymouth
  • Plymouth Charter Township
  • Redford Township
  • Riverview
  • Rockwood
  • Romulus
  • Southgate
  • Sumpter Township
  • Taylor
  • Trenton
  • Van Buren Township
  • Woodhaven
  • Wyandotte