Craig Mauger and Beth LeBlanc, MediaNews Group

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed an $81 billion state spending plan and a new 24% tax on marijuana into law Tuesday after months of contentious negotiations in Michigan’s divided government.

The budget legislation, which was approved by lawmakers after the state’s constitutional deadline of Oct. 1, included about $1.1 billion in additional money for roads, spending reductions for economic development and an array of state departments and an attempt to navigate steep Medicaid cuts triggered by federal action.

The tax on wholesale marijuana, which is expected to generate about $420 million in new revenue, was among the most contentious aspects of the wide-ranging budget compromise between House Republicans and Senate Democrats.

In a statement We

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