Mid-Michigan Caregivers

718 W. Saginaw St., Lansing (517) 993-5357 Hours: M-Sat 11 a.m. - 8 p.m.

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Mid-Michigan Caregivers on Saginaw Street between Wisconsin Avenue and Sycamore Street inhabits a former automobile parts storefront that has seen better days. I visited on a recent weekday afternoon after two unsuccessful attempts during advertised dispensary hours. 

I was greeted and had my credentials checked thoroughly, which has become common practice and a positive step in legitimizing the Michigan Medical Marihuana Program licensing process. I have discussed this noticeable attention to credentials with dispensary operators and some have been burned by inadequate inspection or counterfeit licenses, or both. Beyond a thorough credential check, there isn’t much to this ramshackle location: just a front counter and a separate side counter displaying medicine.

I asked about available services and prices for products like hard candies, baked goods and topical hash oils but was told that the store did not have most items other than raw cannabis. Mid-Michigan Caregivers does not offer physician appointments or any other clinical services. It does sell clones, though I did not investigate these during my visit. 

I asked several additional questions and the individual helping me wondered aloud why I was asking all of these questions. In my experience, most dispensary operators enjoy talking about their operations — in fact, many are hard to disengage — so this was surprising to me. I instead focused on the product available.

This dispensary had 13 strains at $10 a gram and 14 at $15 a gram — a very good selection of reasonably priced grams for the Lansing market. There was quite a range of strains, but most were fairly typical of what is available locally. The staffer was knowledgeable about stocked cannabis strains and offered useful suggestions about the best matches for various health conditions.

I selected the blue dragon at $10 a gram — which is an indica-sativa hybrid — largely for its pungent aroma. The employee provided a generously sized, dense gram. I decided to smoke this strain and the effect was a very rapid but satisfying cerebral pleasure, more indicative of a sativa variety. The quality of the cannabis was top notch and as good as most higher-priced grams I have sampled.

Mid-Michigan Caregivers offers discounts to veterans, and there is no membership fee. The employee indicated that hours are somewhat variable during the summer months, so you may want to call ahead to make sure they are open when planning a visit.

What is emerging in the Lansing area dispensary business are locations that offer a broader array of clinical services in addition to medical cannabis in an effort to build an engaged customer base. It is best to shop around for a clinic that is a good match for your needs as a patient.

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