Undercover Bust Leads to MI’s First Lifetime Weed Industry Ban

Michigan's cannabis industry just handed out its first-ever lifetime ban—and it wasn't for getting their paperwork in late. Yousseff "Joseph" Barakat, now the former co-owner of Tree House Club (man, I love dispensary names) in Big Rapids and Bay City, has officially been smoked out of the Michigan legal weed game for life.

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Fox 2 reports the higher-ups at the Michigan Cannabis Regulatory Agency (CRA) made the move after uncovering a laundry list of violations that read like a "How Not to Run a Business" manual.

Astonishing Violations Led to Ban

Think: selling weed to an underage cop in a plastic sandwich bag with no label, skipping employee background checks, operating without power or security systems, and leaving pounds of marijuana just sitting around.

This isn't a negotiated settlement. This is the CRA laying down the law. Barakat is the first person to be involuntarily banned for life without agreeing to it beforehand. The Macomb Daily reports that other industry insiders, like the Shinas of the now-closed Flavor Galaxy, have accepted a lifetime ban voluntarily.

 Unprecedented Move by CRA

According to the CRA, Barakat's Tree House Club sold 1.5 ounces to a 20-year-old Michigan State Police cadet in early 2023. If that weren't enough, the 'employee' who sold it was unregistered (another big no-no).

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The CRA's decision became final this week, cementing Barakat's permanent exit from Michigan's weed scene.