At the polls in November, voters in two Michigan border communities, Niles Township and Menominee, passed ballot initiatives to block or limit new marijuana shops.

In the Upper Peninsula’s Menominee, where eight shops already exist in the town of about 8,500 along the Wisconsin border, residents voted to cap the number of stores at nine.

After Niles Township voters green-lit marijuana commerce in November 2024, voters reversed their stance and passed a complete ban on retailers this election.

The results reflect residents’ unease over fears that an influx of profit-driven cannabis shops could reshape their communities in an effort to capitalize on lucrative cross-border sales.

Now, officials and residents in both communities are bracing for expected lawsuits. MLive covered the election results, impact and reactions in a story published earlier this month.

Related: A Michigan town was on track to become a marijuana mecca until voters shut it down

These are five takeaways from MLive’s reporting on the issue:

1. ‘Put the toothpaste back in the tube’

Menominee and Niles Township previously approved ordinances allowing an unlimited number of cannabis retailers. Officials in both communities said they worried that setting a cap could trigger lawsuits by left-out cannabis companies, which has occurred in other Michigan municipalities. Instead, they hoped zoning rules would limit how many shops could open.

With the new limitations put in place by voters, Menominee Councilman Michael DeDamos said it “looks a lot like we’re trying to put the toothpaste back into the tube, and now it’s going to cost us some lawsuits.”

2. The Niles Township about-face

Niles Township residents have been inconsistent with their stance on marijuana.

In 2019, Niles Township officials passed an ordinance banning marijuana business. In 2022, voters rejected a ballot initiative to overturn that ban. In November 2024, about 52% of voters passed a ballot initiative to allow marijuana. The passage required the township to issue a minimum of four retailer licenses.

After elected officials offered unlimited licensing, nearly 30 applications were accepted and the first stores were slated to open next year.

Numerous businesses entered into agreements to purchase property and began making other preparations before 58% of voters passed the new ban on all marijuana businesses.

3. Outside interests

Ballot initiatives were created to give citizens greater control over their own governance. But they can also be coopted by outside interests.

In Niles Township, the ban was largely funded by entities linked to Levels Cannabis, a shop that operates in a neighboring community. Levels Cannabis stood to potentially lose business if competition opened in Niles Township. Campaign finance records reviewed by MLive show that nearly $400,000 was spent on the initiative.

Financing behind the Menominee initiative, named Defending Menominee, is foggy.

The filing documents list the address of a law firm in Lansing and a treasurer with a Kalamazoo address. When contacted by MLive, a representative of the law firm said his office was hired to file paperwork and handle accounting on behalf of the ballot initiative organizers. He declined to reveal who that was.

Campaign finance records reveal at least $40,000 was spent on the effort by a consulting business named Grassroots Midwest. Representatives for Grassroots Midwest didn’t respond to MLive requests for comment.

Attorney Kevin Blair, who represented Defending Menominee during litigation that was resolved in October, didn’t respond to MLive inquiries regarding who hired him.

4. The Wild Bill’s Tobacco link

The funding behind the marijuana ban in Niles Township leads to Wild Bill’s Tobacco, a Michigan-based tobacco retailer that operates in five states.

Mazin Samona, the founder of Wild Bill’s Tobacco, is listed as an organizer for Oasis Wellness Center of Niles, which owns Levels Cannabis. Level Up Ventures, for which Samona is the registered agent, paid for the ballot initiatives petition circulation, legal fees and mailers totaling over $280,000.

5. Lawsuits

As of Nov. 26, MLive could not identify any lawsuits filed in response to the Niles Township pot ban. MLive spoke with multiple property owners who entered into purchase agreements with marijuana companies, but those deals were contingent on the businesses receiving retail licenses.

“There’s going to be lawsuits, I’m pretty sure,” said James Jorgenson, who planned to sell his former motorcycle shop to a cannabis business and retire. “I have a feeling there’s a whole bunch of stuff coming.”

Following the election, Puff Cannabis, which has been trying to open a shop in Menominee, sued the city for $20 million over claims that officials are improperly withholding their business license.

Puff Cannabis is one of two businesses now vying for the final available license.

In previous litigation, Menominee entered into a settlement agreement that gave preferential licensing commitments to nine businesses, including Highwire Farms, which has yet to open.

DeDamos said if the city isn’t able to issue a license to Highwire Farms that could be considered a breach of the settlement agreement.