These Michigan cannabis companies are offering a discount for people with pot-related convictions

Several Michigan cannabis companies are offering a discount to people with marijuana-related misdemeanors or felonies on their record.

Sure, it's not the same as expungement for existing marijuana-related records, as other states have done, but in the meantime, as Michigan's marijuana industry continues to bloom, it's a nice gesture to those who have been harmed by the War on Drugs.

In a program believed to be the first of its kind in the U.S., "The Redemption Discount" is being offered to customers at Grand Rapids's Pharmhouse Wellness, East Tawas's The Botanical Co., and Ann Arbor's Om of Medicine. Customers convicted of marijuana-related felonies get a 10% discount, while those convicted of marijuana-related misdemeanors get 5% off.

The discount is inspired by Ryan Basore, owner of Redemption Cannabis, who was in federal prison from 2013 to 2016 for charges related to serving as a medical marijuana caregiver. He launched Redepmtion Cannabis earlier this year, which sends 10 percent of all proceeds to causes that help those who have been harmed by marijuana prohibition, including grants for job skills training programs, prisoner re-entry initiatives, expungement clinics, and more.

"This discount program is just one of the many ways we plan on supporting the cannabis reform movement," The Botanical Company CEO Russ Chambers said in a statement. "It's wrong that people with cannabis charges on their records continue to be punished at a time when we have full legalization in this state."

No proof of the conviction is necessary. PharmHouse offers the discount on all cannabis products while The Botanical Co. and Om of Medicine are discounting Redemption brand products only.

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