Al Witt
Former Gaylord City Council Member and Cannabis Advocate
Former Gaylord City Council member
Elected in 2017 and served on the council that voted to legalize cannabis businesses in Gaylord
Medical marijuana caregiver
Provided medicine to registered patients under Michigan's Medical Marihuana Act before the 2015 raids
Voted to legalize cannabis in Gaylord
As a sitting council member in 2021, voted in favor of the ordinance legalizing marijuana enterprises
Part of the Meds Cafe story
Connected to Meds Cafe through shared commitment to cannabis justice, community advocacy, and Northern Michigan roots
Al Witt's story is one of the most remarkable in Michigan cannabis history. A medical marijuana caregiver in Gaylord, Al was swept up in the 2015 Otsego County enforcement raids that targeted caregivers and dispensary workers operating in the legal gray area left by the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act of 2008.
Al was charged with cannabis-related offenses tied to distribution outside the caregiver registry system. He went to trial, was convicted, and was sentenced to 180 days in jail (90 mandatory) and 18 months of probation. His case was covered by UpNorthLive and drew attention to the gaps and inconsistencies in Michigan's early cannabis laws. Joshua Covert served as Al's defense attorney, advocating for the rights of caregivers serving registered medical marijuana patients.
In 2017 — just a few years after his conviction — Al Witt was elected to the Gaylord City Council. His election, during or near the end of his probation period, was a powerful signal of changing public attitudes toward cannabis in Northern Michigan.
Then in 2021, the Gaylord City Council voted to approve an ordinance legalizing marijuana enterprises in the city. Al Witt, now a sitting council member, voted in favor. The man who had been prosecuted for cannabis was now helping write the rules that would bring legal cannabis businesses to Gaylord.
Following legalization, cannabis businesses became meaningful contributors to Gaylord's local economy. An Interlochen Public Radio report noted that marijuana revenue helped pave the way for a Gaylord tax cut, funding infrastructure and municipal projects. Al participated in the council's approval of cannabis business applications, including licensing decisions that shaped the market in Otsego County.
Today, Al's story is part of the broader Meds Cafe narrative — a cannabis company built by people who lived through the fight for legalization, not just the business opportunity that followed. His path from prosecution to public service captures the cultural and legal shift that made Michigan's cannabis industry possible.