{"id":87004,"date":"2026-09-22T08:20:59","date_gmt":"2026-09-22T16:20:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2026\/09\/22\/michigan-marijuana-industry-shouldnt-trust-gop-governor-candidates-pledge-to-cut-taxes-democratic-senator-says\/"},"modified":"2026-09-23T19:47:10","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T03:47:10","slug":"michigan-marijuana-industry-shouldnt-trust-gop-governor-candidates-pledge-to-cut-taxes-democratic-senator-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2026\/09\/22\/michigan-marijuana-industry-shouldnt-trust-gop-governor-candidates-pledge-to-cut-taxes-democratic-senator-says\/","title":{"rendered":"Michigan Marijuana Industry Shouldn\u2019t Trust GOP Governor Candidate\u2019s Pledge To Cut Taxes, Democratic Senator Says"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

A group representing Michigan marijuana businesses is endorsing the Republican candidate for governor<\/a> due to his pledge to cut taxes on the industry, but a Democratic senator says the GOP politician can\u2019t be trusted to follow through in light of his track record of opposing cannabis reform.<\/p>\n

Last week, the Michigan Cannabis Industry Association (MiCIA) said it supports John James as the state\u2019s next governor, citing his promise to repeal or significantly roll back a\u00a0new 24 percent wholesale cannabis tax<\/a> that was enacted by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) and the Democratic-controlled legislature to raise funds for road and bridge repairs.<\/p>\n

Sen. Jeff Irwin (D), however, told Marijuana Moment that James \u201chas not been a friend to legalization\u201d\u2014citing comments from 2018 when he said he would \u201cpersonally be voting no\u201d on the ballot initiative that ultimately legalized recreational cannabis in the state that year.<\/p>\n

While James also said<\/a> at the time that \u201cshould it pass, I will respect the will of the voters,\u201d Irwin argued that \u201cactions speak louder than words, so I don\u2019t believe these thin campaign promises.\u201d<\/p>\n

James \u201chas not supported our efforts in Congress and is in lock step with law enforcement lobby groups that oppose legalization and access,\u201d Irwin told Marijuana Moment.<\/p>\n

No major cannabis-related votes have taken place under the U.S. House\u2019s Republican majority during James\u2019s times serving in the chamber since 2023. He hasn\u2019t sponsored or cosponsored any bills to legalize marijuana under federal law or respect state laws on the issue, but he did sign on as a supporter of the Hemp Enforcement, Modernization, and Protection Act, which would federally regulate hemp-derived cannabinoid products.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is his record of action,\u201d Irwin said. \u201cNo assistance for the cause\u201d of broader marijuana reform.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf he is making promises to regarding the 24 percent wholesale tax, but is also making promises to road builders, local governments and police groups, which promises do you think he will keep?\u201d the Democratic senator said. \u201cAsk him if he plans to cut road funds or how else will he replace these funds. I suspect he is counting on nothing passing; and, if it looks like it might, he could always kill the bill behind the scenes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Irwin argued that while James has \u201cnot been an advocate in Congress,\u201d his running mate for lieutenant governor, state Rep. Jay DeBoyer (R) \u201chas been even worse on cannabis issues.\u201d<\/p>\n

DeBoyer filed legislation this session to cut the number of Michigan medical cannabis caregivers can grow for patients in half, from 12 to six, while limiting the numbers of caregiver registrations per physical address to just one.<\/p>\n

Irwin acknowledged to Marijuana Moment that he is \u201cmad at Governor Whitmer for signing this new tax.\u201d<\/p>\n

James\u2019s Democratic opponent for governor, Jocelyn Benson, meanwhile, has not taken a clear stance on the cannabis tax<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a \u201cnew and emerging issue,\u201d she said this month.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of data yet to be determined on that particular tax\u2026 We need to know where the money is going and also the impact that it\u2019s had on the industry,\u201d she said. \u201cAt the same time, I want to make sure that any changes we are making to our tax code do not come at the expense of driving up costs for Michiganders.\u201d<\/p>\n

James, for his part, said in a plank of his \u201cFreedom Agenda\u201d unveiled last month that the cannabis tax \u201cdrives up prices, gives illegal operators a competitive edge<\/a>, and has already fallen far short of revenue projections.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs Governor, I will work to repeal or sharply reduce it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

A Republican state representative recently filed legislation that would reverse the cannabis wholesale tax<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The tax was projected by state officials to raise $420 million, with the revenue aimed at funding road repairs and construction, though Rep. James DeSana (R), the sponsor of the repeal bill, says it is generating in less than half of what its supporters anticipated.<\/p>\n

The levy has been\u00a0challenged in court through lawsuits filed by the cannabis industry<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, earlier this year, the Michigan Cannabis Regulatory Agency announced it is distributing nearly\u00a0$100 million in marijuana tax revenue to over 300 local governments and tribes<\/a>\u00a0across the state. The money is intended to support various local infrastructure, education and other programs and services in 313 municipalities, counties and tribal areas.<\/p>\n

Photo courtesy of Mike Latimer.<\/em><\/p>\n

The post Michigan Marijuana Industry Shouldn\u2019t Trust GOP Governor Candidate\u2019s Pledge To Cut Taxes, Democratic Senator Says<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n


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\nRead More: Michigan Marijuana Industry Shouldn\u2019t Trust GOP Governor Candidate\u2019s Pledge To Cut Taxes, Democratic Senator Says<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A group representing Michigan marijuana businesses is endorsing the Republican candidate for governor due to his pledge to cut taxes on the industry, but a Democratic senator says the GOP politician can\u2019t be trusted to follow through in light of his track record of opposing cannabis reform. Last week, theContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":459,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87004"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/459"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87004"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87004\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":87005,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87004\/revisions\/87005"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87004"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87004"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87004"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}