POT GROWER SUPPLY BUSINESSES TO GET A BOOST FROM COURT DECISION

One sector of Michigan's booming medical marijuana economy -- retail
dispensaries -- took a big hit this week when a state appeals court
declared their operation illegal and put them out of business.

But it's likely to prove to be a boon to another: Those who sell
grower supplies.

With retail sales curtailed, an increasing number of Michigan's nearly
100,000 registered medical marijuana patients will be forced to grow
their own.

The California-based franchise weGrow announced Friday that it plans
to open a store with at least 10,000 square feet of floor space in
Michigan by year's end.

Founder Dahr Mann said the chain, which has stores in Sacramento,
Calif., and Phoenix and is developing two others, is looking for a
location in metro Detroit. He hopes to expand in coming years.

Mann said negotiations with a franchisee are not complete, but said he
is confident the Detroit-area location will be open by December.

Mann said weGrow franchises cater exclusively to marijuana growers,
providing a single location for growing supplies, advice and training
- -- even certification for medical marijuana patients. He said the
Michigan store will have an in-house physician.

Michigan's medical marijuana law, approved by voters in 2008, created
a fast-growing market for indoor growing supplies, boosting sales at
long-established firms and fostering the creation of dozens of newcomers.

Much of the marijuana produced for patients certified under the law is
grown indoors, in large part because of requirements that plants be
confined in a secure location accessible only to the patient or a
certified caregiver.