The use of recreational cannabis has been legalized in 24 states as of June 2025, and 40 states, plus Washington, D.C., have legalized the use of medical marijuana. Travelers who use it recreationally or to treat health conditions should be aware of the relevant laws in the destinations they visit. Here’s what you need to know about cannabis in Grand Rapids.

Note: We’re using cannabis throughout this article rather than other terms like marijuana, pot, grass, ganja, dope, mary jane and 420 following the standard of the city of Grand Rapids. The city uses the scientific name in all its ordinances, policies, and forms to help eliminate any historical stigma that may be associated with the other terms.

Cannabis is legal in Grand Rapids

It’s perfectly legal for adults age 21+ to partake of cannabis in Grand Rapids and throughout Michigan – both for medicinal and recreational purposes. That applies to both residents and visitors. Michigan voters approved legalized cannabis in 2018. Since then, Michigan has become the second-largest cannabis market in the country, behind only California.

Using cannabis in Grand Rapids

Michigan state law specifies that any use of cannabis must take place in private. It is illegal to use cannabis in any form (smoking, vaping, edibles, dabs, tinctures, etc.) in a public space. This applies to both medical and recreational use. For example, you CANNOT consume cannabis:

  • Out in public where anyone can see you.
  • While driving or sitting in a vehicle on a Michigan roadway.
  • In a boat on a Michigan waterway.
  • Around the campfire at a Michigan state park or on a state park beach or trail.
  • On private property where cannabis use is expressly prohibited.

You CAN consume cannabis on private property whose owners consent to its use, such as a residence, rental property, B&B, or hotel that allows it. (We don’t know of any area hotels that permit it.) You must secure your host’s approval. While private-property hosts can prohibit you from smoking, they cannot stop you from simply possessing a legal amount of cannabis or from using non-smokable forms, such as edibles or concentrates.

Possessing cannabis in Grand Rapids

In public, adults may carry up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis, with no more than 15 grams of cannabis concentrate included in that amount. 

Staying with friends and family? Be aware that Michigan residents can possess up to 10 ounces of cannabis. However, any amount over 2.5 ounces must be stored in a container or area equipped with locks or other functioning security devices that restrict access to its contents.

Michigan allows adults 21 and older to cultivate up to 12 plants per residence for personal use. Home-grown cannabis is for personal use only – it cannot be sold. Adults can gift up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis to another adult, as long as the transfer isn’t promoted or advertised commercially.

Grand Rapids cannabis dispensaries

The city of Grand Rapids is home to a number of licensed provisioning centers and licensed retailers where you can legally purchase all manner of cannabis products. A provisioning center is a facility that has a medical marijuana license while a retailer is only licensed to sell cannabis for adult recreational use. Many provisioning centers also sell recreational products.

There are more than 20 active cannabis dispensaries in Kent County. The majority are in and around Grand Rapids, including three within walking distance of downtown Grand Rapids hotels. Cedar Springs, about 20 minute northeast of Grand Rapids, and Lowell, 20 minutes east, also have multiple dispensaries.

You can consult online resources and apps for lists and maps of locations around Grand Rapids and beyond.

Cannabis prohibitions and penalties

Individuals cannot sell cannabis to each other. Selling cannabis in Michigan is a felony, punishable by prison terms and fines that escalate according to the amount of sold. Cannabis can be legally sold and purchased only in state-licensed facilities.

Using or possessing cannabis in public is a civil infraction with a fine up to $100. Possessing between 2.5 and 5.0 ounces at home without proper secure storage is a civil infraction (up to a $500 fine for a first offense). Growing plants that are visible from a public street or not in a secured, locked area is a civil infraction carrying a fine up to $100. Possessing over 5.0 ounces can escalate to a misdemeanor. Underage possession or cultivation by anyone under 21 results in civil infractions or fines scaling from $500 to $2,000 for repeat.

Traveling with cannabis

Even though it’s legal in Michigan, unlicensed or recreational cannabis remains a Schedule I controlled substance under federal law. This drug classification carries the harshest penalties for possession and use. Airports are technically considered federal property and thus follow federal law rather than state law. You can still be charged with a federal crime for possessing or using marijuana in a U.S. airport, including our Gerald R. Ford International Airport.

It is also a federal crime to transport cannabis across state borders, so you can’t take it back home with you, even if you live in state where cannabis is legal. You CAN drive with a legal amount of cannabis in your vehicle in Michigan, if the cannabis products are kept in a sealed container or in the trunk of your car.

The federal government recently reclassified state-licensed medical cannabis and its derivates as Schedule III controlled substances. This move changes certain federal criminal penalties, but major prohibitions and quantity-based mandatory minimum sentences remain in place.

Traveling with CBD

Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of the active ingredients in cannabis. It’s often used to calm anxiety and treat pain. Traveling through airports, across state borders, and within Michigan is generally fine as long as the CBD in your product is derived from hemp, not marijuana, and it contains no more than 0.3% THC (the compound in cannabis that makes people feel “high”). Unless you’re traveling to Idaho, that is, where only THC-free CBD is permissible. (It’s always best to check local laws before you go.)

Promoting social equity

Grand Rapids and the state of Michigan promote and encourage participation in the cannabis industry by people from communities that have been disproportionately impacted by historical prohibition and enforcement, and support cannabis businesses that positively impact those communities.

Pharmhouse Wellness, just five minutes from downtown Grand Rapids, earned the state’s first Social Equity All-Star Gold award in July 2022. The business was recognized for its investments in social equity and community improvement.

Cannabis and tourism

The Hospitality and Tourism Management program at Grand Valley State University began offering a minor in Cannabis Operations Management in fall 2022, in recognition of the growth of the cannabis industry. It was the fourth Michigan university to develop a curriculum around cannabis, and the first to offer interdisciplinary, community-focused credentialing on the subject. GVSU also offers a Cannabis Operations and Community Planning Certificate.