Michigan Hotel Caters to Potheads and the Marijuana Culture

Across most of the nation, stoners still have to be very careful not to alarm any rent-a-cops while chiefing-it-up Cheech and Chong-style in their hotel rooms. However, all of the paranoia will soon be eliminated for pothead patrons of the Howard Johnson hotel in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

According to Crain’s Detroit Business, the Howard Johnson is renovating their Grand Rapids hotel to include smoking rooms to be used specifically for people that use tobacco products, even those that partake in the ganja. Reports indicate that 70 of the hotel’s 155 rooms will be remodeled with patios and balconies, which will provide an added convenience for smokers affected by a 2010 law banning smoking in public places – including hotels.

Fortunately, marijuana laws in Michigan have started to relax a little with the advent of the state legalizing pot for medicinal use in 2008. And while recreational use of the drug is still illegal, Grand Rapids, among other cities, recently implemented legislation to decriminalize marijuana – making minor offenses punishable with civil infraction tickets.

Interestingly, marijuana tourism and pot-friendly hotels are becoming more popular in places like Colorado and Washington where marijuana was legalized in 2012. And even though Michigan doesn’t seem prepared to go as far as to fully welcome in the marijuana culture, the state is making strides towards changing that.

A recent guide to Michigan’s marijuana history was published in the Detroit Times – you can read it here.