Common Citizen

About Common Citizen

Common Citizen operates as a vertically integrated cannabis enterprise, strategically positioned within Michigan's robust market, which surpassed $3 billion in sales in 2023. The company was founded in 2018 by childhood friends Michael Elias, David Yostos, and Joseph Jarvis, and launched its operations in Detroit in June 2019. Its business model encompasses cultivation, processing, wholesale distribution, and direct-to-consumer retail for both medical and adult-use markets. Revenue is generated through the sale of its cannabis products via its own retail locations—called "chapters"—and by distributing to partner dispensaries across Michigan.

CEO Michael Elias brings over two decades of experience from the healthcare sector, where he specialized in re-engineering operations and leading organizational transformations using Lean and Six Sigma principles. This background directly informs the company's people-first, data-driven approach and its focus on operational excellence, safety, and compliance, drawing parallels between the regulatory environments of healthcare and cannabis. Elias, who holds a master's degree in Community Medicine from Wayne State University, co-founded the company with the vision of destigmatizing cannabis and serving diverse consumer needs, from medical relief to wellness and recreation.

The company's core operations are based at a large-scale hybrid greenhouse cultivation and processing facility in Marshall, Michigan. Common Citizen cultivates over 60 unique strains to produce a wide array of products, including flower, pre-rolls, and concentrates. A key aspect of its retail strategy involves organizing products not by strain or type, but by four "Common States" intended to align with consumer needs: Daily Dose, Sweet Relief, Time to Shine, and Unplug. This needs-based approach is designed to make cannabis more accessible and understandable, particularly for new consumers. The company has received awards for its modern and inviting retail store design, which aims to create a comfortable and safe environment, moving away from the historically intimidating aesthetic of dispensaries. Common Citizen also engages in strategic partnerships, such as a cultivation agreement with Mike Tyson's Tyson 2.0 brand. The company actively participates in community reinvestment through programs like 'Principle,' which funds microgrants from product sales, and initiatives to support individuals impacted by cannabis prohibition.