Lansterdam

News nuggets from around the state

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Another 420 has come and gone. Joints were passed, bongs were cleared and dabs were dabbed. Here’s a roundup of some weed-related news from around the state you may have missed while your head was in the clouds.

 

STIIIZY hires laid-off Burger King employees from metro Detroit

California-based cannabis brand STIIIZY has offered to hire hundreds of laid-off Burger King employees after a franchise owner closed 26 locations, mostly around metro Detroit. According to court reports, the franchise owner “failed to timely pay amounts due to the Burger King Corp. in relation to the operation of Burger King restaurants in Michigan.” 

STIIIZY offered the workers jobs at the company’s production facility in Orion Township, about 40 minutes north of Detroit, which pays $16 an hour for day shifts and $16.50 an hour for night shifts — more than Burger King’s average pay for non-managerial positions. 

“It’s a great work environment, full-time hours. You get benefits after 90 days, and people seem to enjoy it,” STIIIZY managing partner Ryan Jundt said in an interview with WWJ-AM. Those who accept the position will assist in producing the company’s signature vaporizers as well as infused blunts and pre-rolls. 

Jundt said the company is looking to fill more than 200 positions over the next few months and may also hire the remaining 200-plus former Burger King workers if there’s enough interest. The company hopes this increase in staff will allow it to launch highly anticipated product lines like edibles and flower. 

 

Skymint regains ground

Last month, a Michigan judge ordered 3Fifteen Cannabis, a group of Michigan cannabis retailers that Skymint acquired in 2021, to relinquish control of several dispensaries to Skymint after violating the court’s receivership order. Skymint, once one of the largest cannabis brands in Michigan, has been under a court-appointed receivership since early March.

According to Crain’s Detroit Business, 3Fifteen challenged Skymint’s leadership and regained control of several stores acquired in the deal, but an Ingham County Circuit judge ruled Skymint should take them back. Skymint reopened stores in Battle Creek, Camden and Grand Rapids in early April.

The judge also ordered 3Fifteen to return almost $500,000 in funds that it removed from its accounts at Live Life Credit Union and ordered the credit union to return access to Skymint employees’ accounts. 

The water is still murky for Skymint, though. On April 7, employees were notified via an email from the company’s executive vice president and general counsel that CEO Jeff Radway would be stepping down from his position. 

In his sendoff, Radway said, “I take with me some incredible relationships and a profound respect for what a talented and dedicated team can do when working together.” He later added, “Believe me, I know it was never easy … but it was worth the ride.”

 

Rkive Cannabis Reserve takes home the gold at Zalympix Michigan

Zalympix, one of the largest recreational weed competitions in the country, made a stop in Detroit on April 14. Dozens of cannabis brands submitted product samples that were rated under blind taste tests. In addition to the competition itself, folks were able to enjoy live music, an open bar, free food and a dab bar courtesy of Frederic-based Humblebee Products and Provisioning. Stoners flocked to 2000 Brooklyn, a private event space, to see which brands truly had the best bud in all of Michigan. 

This year’s Zalympix included a fierce lineup: Peninsula Gardens, Mitten Canna Co., GhostBudsters Farm, Flower Power Cannabis, LightSky Farms, Michigander Fire, Hytek, LocalGrove, Pressure Pack, Old School Organics, Voyage Cannabis, ProGo, Archive, Lost Leaf, Freshy Fine, Redeye Cannabis, Gans Cannabis, Growing Pains and MI Gas all competed. Exotic Matter Cannabis, Herbology Cannabis Co. and The Refinery sponsored the event. The results are as follows:

Heaviest Hitting: 

Peninsula Gardens - Sherb Pie

 

Gassiest: 

LightSky Farms - Titty Sprinkles

 

Best Looking: 

Ghostbudsters Farm - Halle Berry #1

 

Best Tasting: 

#1 Rkive Cannabis Reserve - Candy Fumez

#2 Peninsula Gardens - Sherb Pie

#3 Michigander Fire - Red Runtz

 

Best Terps (Smell):

#1 LightSky Farms - Titty Sprinkles

#2 Ghostbudsters Farm - Halle 

Berry #1

#3 Michigander Fire - Red Runtz

 

Best Overall:

#1 Rkive Cannabis Reserve - Candy Fumez

#2 Peninsula Gardens - Sherb Pie

#3 LightSky Farms - Titty Sprinkles

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