ADRIAN — Recreational marijuana is likely only two weeks away, at best.

The Adrian City Commission approved three dual-purpose permits Monday, one of the last hurdles for recreational marijuana sales in the city.

Amazing Budz, Highwire Farms and North Coast Provisions were the recipients of the permits. 

Permits for medicinal and recreational marijuana dispensaries are under one dual permit. However, a business has to apply to sell medicinal and recreational through separate processes. Amazing Budz, Highwire and North Coast already sell medicinal.

Marijuana businesses are not allowed to call themselves dispensaries per state rules. Provisioning center is the preferred term and you’re likely to see versions of it on signs. However, there is no rule on how they are referred to outside the industry.

Business owners are hopeful their first recreational, or adult-use, sales will be within the next couple weeks.

Each are in the final stages of the process. The dual-purpose permit is one of the last stages for a business at the municipal level. That, along with an attestation form will be sent to the state.

An attestation form is basically a piece of paper that states a business has approval from their municipality to sell, according to Sean McQuarrie, owner and CEO of North Coast.

The form is signed by Adrian City Clerk Robin Connor and is also notarized. Marie McPhail, owner of Amazing Budz, said theirs is expected to be signed today.

“We’ve got everything,” she said. “We’re just waiting on that piece of paper.”

Eric Kennedy, co-owner of Highwire Farms, is in a similar position and is basically waiting on paperwork.

Both Kennedy and McPhail will have to pass inspections from the state. These are expected to be done virtually, such as through Zoom, an online video communication service.

“… operational in less than a week,” Kennedy estimated.

McPhail guessed Amazing Budz would be selling within a couple weeks.

North Coast is a little ahead of the curve, according to McQuarrie, as they had a fire and safety inspection in January. He said the state considered the inspection to satisfy its requirements.

Dispensaries are inspected by the state twice a year.

McQuarrie pegged North Coast’s timeline for selling recreational marijuana between the end of this week and end of next week.

However, when sales do begin will depend largely on the state and their final nod of approval.

“As soon as they’re licensed by the state and provide a copy to us, they can start selling,” said city attorney Tamaris Henagan.

Product supply will largely be based on demand. A shop can move up to 50% of its medicinal product to the recreational side if it is 30 days or older.

Kennedy said there could be a supply issue as the number of growers and processors for recreational marijuana products hasn’t caught up to demand yet. But that gap is closing as more adult-use vendors have came online in recent months, McPhail added.

McQuarrie said it’s hard to tell what the response will be once Adrian shops begin selling. The coronavirus pandemic is likely to have some sort of impact.

McQuarrie said he isn’t expecting long lines.

“I’m skeptical there’s going to be this big rec jump,” he said, noting the shelter-in-place order and the increase in unemployment.

“It’s anybody’s guess how busy we’ll be,” added McPhail.

The North Coast CEO did say he expects prices to come down, especially on flower. Prices could fall up to 10 to 15% on some products, he said.

Marijuana stores have been deemed essential and remain open during the shutdown. However, patients and customers cannot enter the physical buildings. Curbside pickup and delivery are how product can be obtained.

Orders are placed online, over the phone or sometimes even in the parking lot, McPhail said.

In other marijuana industry news, the commission also approved converting four Class C grow permits and one processor permit to dual-purpose permits for Fluresh, 1751 W. Beecher St. The conversion will allow the company to operate both as a medicinal and recreational grower and processor.