A Michigan court has ruled that a marijuana company violated state environmental law after destroying and developing 15.9 acres of protected wetlands to construct a marijuana cultivation operation.
The 30th Circuit Court in Ingham County granted the state’s motion for summary disposition on September 23 against Bliss Corporate, Inc., which does business as Bliss Cannabis and Bliss Farms, and 3227 S. National Road, LLC.
According to the Michigan Department of Attorney General, Bliss began clearcutting, dredging, draining and filling the protected wetlands in Sherman Township in Iosco County in fall 2022 as part of the construction and operation of a marijuana farm.
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) began investigating in December 2022 after receiving a complaint from the Sherman Township supervisor.
State officials subsequently contacted Bliss owners and operators, issued violation notices and met with company representatives multiple times between 2022 and 2024. According to the Attorney General’s office, the company continued developing the wetlands despite being repeatedly notified of the protected areas and directed to stop.
Attorney General Dana Nessel filed a lawsuit on behalf of EGLE in August 2025, alleging that the companies violated Part 303 of Michigan’s Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act.
Under Michigan law, activities including depositing fill material, dredging or removing soil, constructing or operating developments and draining surface water from protected wetlands are prohibited unless authorized under the statute or an applicable state authorization.
The court’s September ruling found the defendant companies violated the state’s wetland protection provisions.
“Wetlands are every bit as vital to Michigan’s ecosystem as our more well-known Great Lakes, dunes, and teeming rivers and forests,” Nessel said in announcing the ruling.
The amount Bliss and the property-owning company will ultimately be required to pay has not yet been determined. Michigan law allows courts to impose civil fines of up to $10,000 for each day a wetland violation continues.
A hearing is scheduled for November 24 to determine civil penalties and potential injunctive relief.
Nessel’s office is asking the court to permanently prohibit the defendants from further violating Michigan’s wetland law, require full restoration of the affected 15.9 acres and impose civil fines to the fullest extent allowed by law.
EGLE Director Phil Roos said destruction of protected wetlands can cause lasting environmental damage, noting that such ecosystems can take generations to develop.
The case is Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy v. Bliss Corporate, Inc., et al., in Michigan’s 30th Circuit Court.
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