City snuffs out cannabis dispensary

By Charles Sercombe
The city is celebrating another legal victory.
Just weeks after the city won a lawsuit challenging Hamtramck’s ban on displaying a pride flag on city property, City Attorney Odey Meroueh says the city was again victorious in court.
In the latest court victory, a lawsuit filed by Hamtramck Investment Group, Inc. (HIG), the company sought to operate a cannabis dispensary at Jos. Campau and Evaline.
After getting what it thought was initial approval by the city to operate a dispensary and passing building code requirements, the city informed HIG that it was being denied permission to operate.
U.S. District Court Judge Shalina D. Kumar ruled in the city’s favor, saying that HIG had been warned that there were other steps to go through before being allowed to operate and that there was a possibility their request could ultimately be denied.
Although the city allowed the company to file an application, the city had, at a later time, passed a resolution not allowing any new dispensary to operate.
The location of the dispensary would have been at Jos. Campau and Evaline, where the former Hamtramck Coney Island once operated. The building has been sitting vacant for several years.
The city had four dispensaries operating at the time, but those were allowed under a prior city council.
An all-male, all-Muslim council later blocked any other dispensary from operating in the city for fear they would attract crime, besides which a number of the city’s conservative Muslim community view marijuana as an objectionable product to consume and sell.
“This is a clear win for Hamtramck residents,” said City Attorney Odey Meroueh in a press release. “The court affirmed that the City applied its ordinances and processes fairly and consistently. We will continue to focus on responsible governance and the rule of law.”
Mayor Amer Ghalib also praised the court’s decision, saying a past administration tried to ram this license through.
“… They were granted a license by some people in the previous administration in a corrupted way that lacked transparency and ethics prior to the council’s vote to stop opening more dispensaries,” Ghalib said on his Facebook page.

The mayor continued: “This win makes one thing clear. Hamtramck will not be bullied or baited. The last administration tried to dump this mess on my desk to sink our new administration. They failed. We stood on the law, defended our taxpayers, and proved that promises made outside the rules do not override the rules. We are moving forward with integrity and results.”

Each of the city’s four dispensaries produce about $200,000 a year in taxes.
It could be seen as confusing that a new dispensary has, in fact, just opened at the former location for the dispensary 3Fifteen, on Jos. Campau between Zinow and Pulaski.
It is allowed to open because the former owner of the 3Fifteen license still holds the license.
The new dispensary is called Weedmart. Its grand opening was this past Monday.
Posted Oct. 24, 2025