It’s a green gold rush for northern Michigan, as both the City of Traverse City and Grand Traverse County prepare to collect massive payouts from Michigan’s marijuana excise tax program for the 2023 fiscal year.

The Michigan Treasury Department reported last week that 198 different cities, villages, and townships throughout the state will split more than $43.5 million in adult-use marijuana excise tax payments from the state’s 737 licensed adult-use dispensaries. In addition, the 71 counties in which those municipalities are located will divvy up their own $43.5 million share.

Beyond the combined $87.09 million headed to cities, villages, townships, and counties, the state will also distribute $101.6 million each in excise tax revenues to both the School Aid Fund and the Michigan Transportation Fund. In total, the state collected $290.3 million in cannabis tax monies during the 2023 fiscal year, which closed out on September 30. Per Crain’s Detroit, that number outstrips the combined excise tax revenues from beer, wine, and liquor by $73.6 million.

A healthy amount of cash is coming to northern Michigan, thanks to the excise tax program. Since the City of Traverse City opted into adult-use marijuana sales for the first time in 2023, it will receive $709,036.20 in excise tax revenue – $59,086.35 for each of its 12 licensed and operating adult-use cannabis dispensaries. Grand Traverse County, meanwhile, is getting $886,295.25 in marijuana tax dollars, including payouts for the 12 Traverse City dispensaries, as well as payments for three additional shops in other municipalities; Green Lake Township has two dispensaries and Fife Lake Township has one.

Traverse City’s total payout represents the ninth highest of any city, village, or township in the state. The biggest earner on that list, unsurprisingly, is the city of Detroit, which will pocket nearly $1.95 million from its 33 dispensaries.

According to Crain’s, cannabis sales in Michigan exceeded $3.06 billion during the 2023 fiscal year, up from last year's $2.3 billion. The per-dispensary payout is also up this year, from $51,841.21 a year ago. Per the Michigan Cannabis Regulatory Agency, 2023’s sales average out to $305 in marijuana spending for every Michigan resident – a higher per capita rate than any other state in the country.

Beyond Grand Traverse, each county in the five-county region will see at least some marijuana money from this year’s excise tax payouts. Those disbursements are outlined below.

>$59,086.35 for Leelanau County, which has one licensed dispensary. The Village of Northport, where that business is located, will also get a $59,086.35 payment.

>$236,345.40 for Antrim County from its four dispensaries. One of those stores is located in the Village of Central Lake, which will receive $59,086.35. The other three shops are in the Village of Mancelona, which is expecting a distribution of $177,259.05.

>$413,604.45 for Kalkaska County from its seven adult-use cannabis shops – and an equivalent $413,604.45 for the Village of Kalkaska, where all seven of those dispensaries are located.

>$236,345.40 for Benzie County and its four dispensaries – and an equivalent $236,345.40 for Benzonia Township, which licenses all four.

Cumulatively, governments in the five-county region are getting $3,663,353.70 in excise tax payments from recreational cannabis.

These payouts are a product of the Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marijuaha Act, which voters approved in 2018 to officially legalize adult-use cannabis in the state. Under that law, Michigan imposes a 10 percent excise tax on all recreational marijuana sales in the state, on top of a 6 percent sales tax.