A July ribbon cutting celebrated Saline’s first legal cannabis retailer. But sales officially began March 15 at Rush Cannabis, which bought the Mickey’s Dairy Twist property on the west side of town for $1.05 million in 2022 and undertook a major reconstruction. (The longtime ice cream parlor’s assets were sold and it now operates inside nearby Toarmina’s Pizza.)
The modernized space sports a high ceiling, metallic steel finishes, and more parking. Though the city’s security regulations don’t require it, an armed guard is on duty whenever they’re open. General manager Anton Mansour says it’s “just a precaution, and it makes people feel safer.”
For now it’s cash or debit card only (an ATM is on site), and it recently began offering local delivery. Rush also has a dispensary in Hazel Park and another planned for Oxford Township. Mansour says the chance to open in Saline was especially appealing given the site’s visibility along the well-traveled US-12 corridor—there are no competitors for many miles to their west, well past Michigan International Speedway.
Rush relies on more than 100 Michigan-based vendors for its stock of upwards of 1,000 different items—flower, concentrates, edibles, vaporizers, and accessories. “We’re seeing a lot of gummies and edibles being sold in Saline,” he notes.
The name was inspired by the Canadian rock band. “We don’t rush you in and out, I’ll tell you that,” Mansour pledges. “But it’s a quick transaction. When people come in, they’re not waiting.”
Rush Cannabis, 751 W. Michigan Ave., Saline. (734) 977–7874. Daily 9 a.m.–9 p.m. rushcannabiz.com
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Rolling out on April 20, a significant date in cannabis culture, High Society stepped into the capacious space previously home to the Come Dancing studio, between Dollar General and Stony Lake Brewing Company.
High Society, with two other dispensaries in Michigan and three more planned, grows much of its own flower at an outdoor farm in Bay County and an indoor canopy in Warren. “So we can basically create and control our own inventory that we’re bringing into the building,” says Awsem Zbair, a member of its ownership group.
It also engages a network of vendors for accessories, some strains of flower, and processed cannabis products, ranging from high-potency live resin concentrates to tinctures and topicals, many with non-psychoactive CBD.
A five-year veteran of the cannabis industry with a long background in hospitality, Zbair prioritizes personal consultation. Unlike a bartender who can read a face to see whether a martini passes muster, he points out, cannabis can’t be sampled on site, “so we’ve got to do everything within our power to make sure that what’s going home with you is gonna be exactly what you’re looking for.”
Ben Harrington, Saline’s community development director, notes that the businesses “really haven’t caused any problems.” He says the city receives $5,000 per year from each adult-use licensee, and expects about $52,000 annually for each retailer from the state’s redistributing some of the 10 percent excise tax proceeds back to host municipalities.
High Society, 465 E. Michigan Ave., Saline. (734) 470–6023. Mon.–Sat. 9 a.m.–9 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m.–8 p.m. highsocietydispo.com/saline-dispensary