Pushing Pot: Local resident sells, grows marijuana to supplement incomes

Dealing with a tough economy and unemployment, some Mount Pleasant residents have used growing and selling marijuana to help pay the bills and put food on the table. (Jeff Smith/Photo Editor)

Editor’s note: The name in this story have been changed for anonymity.

Facing an economy with fewer job opportunities, growing and selling marijuana is not reserved for the young or criminal anymore.

A local mother and grandmother said she felt in order to make up for lost income, it was a realistic alternative.

Jane has been growing marijuana in her basement and selling it for the past few months.

She said her husband was making about $2,400 each month at his previous job, and because they no longer can receive unemployment, they began supplementing lost income by growing and selling marijuana.

“After my husband lost his job, people said it was a quick way to make some money,” Jane said. “It helps to put food on the table.”

She said they did not make as much as when her husband was employed, but the extra income from growing and selling helps cover the difference.

“He still had his medical marijuana card from when he had cancer, so we started from there,” she said. “We only sell to other people that have their cards as well — it’s not like we do this under the table.”

While laid off from his job, Jane’s husband got sick and their family was faced with having to pay for the mounting medical bills. Because they no longer have medical insurance, she said selling marijuana has helped to alleviate some medical expenses.

Isabella County Sheriff Leo Mioduszewski said he is not sure if growing and selling marijuana is a growing trend because of the economy.

“After we arrest people for dealing or growing, we don’t know immediately why they are doing it,” he said.

Since the dispensaries have closed, Jane said she has seen an increase in the number of patients she provides for, but she could not provide an exact number of clients she has.

If Michigan’s job market continues to be one of the worst in the nation, she  said she could see more people relying on growing and selling marijuana as a way to make money.

The people Jane provides marijuana to have different conditions, she said, and they are not the type of people most would assume would use marijuana.

“These aren’t just people off the street. They’re not what you think of when you think of marijuana users,” she said. “Most of them are middle-aged and most of them are just your average person.”