Rev. Steve Thompson — The Reverend Who Fought for Michigan Cannabis Patients

Some people become part of history because they hold public office.

Others become part of history because they refuse to stop fighting.

Rev. Steve Thompson was one of those people.

Long before Michigan had a regulated cannabis industry, before dispensaries lined our streets and before most people were comfortable openly discussing marijuana as medicine, Steve Thompson was standing up for cannabis reform in Northern Michigan.

By 2000, Thompson was already directing the Benzie County chapter of NORML and working to build support for marijuana decriminalization and industrial hemp legalization. He wasn’t simply talking about cannabis policy—he was putting himself in the middle of the fight.

As Michigan moved toward medical marijuana legalization, Thompson became one of the voices advocating for patients and caregivers. In 2008, he was identified as president of Benzie County NORML during the campaign surrounding Michigan’s medical marijuana ballot initiative. Michigan voters ultimately approved the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act with 63% of the vote.

But Steve didn’t consider the passage of the law the end of the fight.

It was the beginning.

As Michigan’s new medical marijuana law came under attack and law enforcement agencies questioned what voters had actually approved, Thompson became a fierce defender of the people who depended on it.

In 2011, when Attorney General Bill Schuette traveled to Frankfort to speak about the medical marijuana law, Thompson was there. He publicly accused the Attorney General of failing to protect patients and caregivers and argued that the state’s interpretation of the law was violating the will of Michigan voters.

He wasn’t afraid to put those beliefs into writing, either.

In a 2011 letter to the Benzie County Record Patriot, Thompson described cannabis consumers as ordinary people—friends, relatives and coworkers—and argued for scientific research, tolerance and an end to the drug war. He signed the letter as Chapter Director of Benzie County NORML.

And then he took the fight to local government.

In 2014, Thompson went before the Benzie County Board of Commissioners with a proposed marijuana decriminalization ordinance. His goal wasn’t simply to convince commissioners to pass it. He wanted the question placed before the people of Benzie County so voters themselves could decide.

When the county effort was blocked, the campaign shifted to Frankfort.

A petition drive gathered enough signatures to put a marijuana decriminalization amendment on the Frankfort ballot. Thompson helped organize a public town hall, saying he hoped people would come who weren’t simply members of the “choir”—people willing to have an honest discussion about cannabis.

That philosophy seems to have followed him throughout his activism:

Let the people decide.

His work also extended beyond marijuana policy itself. He was active in the Benzie County Democratic Party, supported progressive causes and continued writing about politics, government and social issues. His work helped push cannabis reform into broader political conversations, including within the Michigan Democratic Party.

His advocacy continued well into the years after Michigan’s medical marijuana law was established. In 2016, Thompson publicly defended patients involved in a major cannabis raid, arguing that people growing medicine for seriously ill patients should not have their lives destroyed.

And there is another side of Steve’s story that I think is especially important.

He was a Reverend.

For him, cannabis advocacy wasn’t separate from his beliefs about compassion, justice and helping other people. His public writing repeatedly returned to those ideas. Even when political disagreements became heated, he framed his arguments around compassion and what he believed was right.

That’s part of what makes his story so interesting.

He was a man of faith who found himself standing on the front lines of a movement that many religious and political institutions once rejected.

He stood with patients.

He stood with caregivers.

He stood with voters.

And he stood with the idea that government should listen when the people speak.

In June 2026, the Benzie County Democrats announced the loss of Rev. Steve Thompson, remembering him as someone who, despite significant physical challenges, continued doing whatever he could for the causes he believed in. They described him as “key to the statewide drive.”

The internet doesn’t give us a neat biography of Steve Thompson. There isn’t a Wikipedia page documenting his life or a long list of awards recognizing his work.

Instead, his history is scattered across old newspapers, county meeting minutes, letters to editors, ballot campaigns and the memories of the people who knew him.

And maybe that’s fitting.

Because people like Rev. Steve Thompson weren’t necessarily fighting for recognition.

They were fighting so that someday, other people wouldn’t have to.

Michigan’s cannabis history belongs to the people who helped build it.

Rev. Steve Thompson deserves to be remembered as one of them.

Sources & Further Reading

• “Fond Memories of Rainbow” — Cannabis News (2000)⁠ — Documents Thompson’s early work with Benzie County NORML and the Michigan Personal Responsibility Amendment.

• “REV. STEVEN THOMPSON: Yes we ‘cannabis’!” — Benzie County Record Patriot (2011)⁠ — Thompson’s own words on cannabis prohibition, patients, caregivers and drug policy.

• “Attorney general’s visit brings out protesters” — Manistee News (2011)⁠ — Reports on Thompson’s advocacy for Michigan medical marijuana patients and caregivers.

• “Archie Kiel found guilty” — Northern Express⁠ — Documents Thompson’s role as president of Michigan NORML and his courtroom advocacy for a medical marijuana defendant.

• “12 Michigan Cities Targeted For Marijuana Ballot Proposals In 2014” — The Weed Blog⁠ — Identifies Thompson as the local spokesperson for the Benzie County marijuana decriminalization campaign.

• “THOMPSON: The other side of the story of marijuana raid” — Benzie County Record Patriot (2016)⁠ — Thompson’s defense of medical marijuana patients following a major cannabis raid.

• “History – Michigan Local (City) Cannabis Law”⁠ — Historical record identifying Rev. Steve Thompson as the Frankfort campaign contact in Michigan’s local cannabis reform efforts.

• “Remembering Rev. Steve Thompson” — Benzie Democrats (2026)⁠ — Community remembrance following Thompson’s death and recognition of his contribution to the statewide movement.