It’s been nearly eight months since Michigan’s marijuana legalization law took effect and the first retail sales are still months away. Michiganders will have to wait until at least November to know if they’ll be able to buy marijuana at a store in time for Christmas — or wait until after the New Year. The […]
Michigan
11 things to know about Michigan’s new recreational marijuana rules
Michigan officials issued a set of heavily anticipated emergency rules for the recreational marijuana market this week that will define how the commercial sale of the now-legal drug will operate. The rule set comes more than six months after 57 percent of Michigan voters chose to legalize marijuana and hemp in the state. Broadly, the […]
235,000 Michiganders could have marijuana record cleared under new bill
Misdemeanors involving low-level marijuana use and possession would be automatically cleared from Michiganders’ records under a bill that will be introduced this week by Sen. Jeff Irwin, D-Ann Arbor. The bill would allow roughly 235,000 people to have their misdemeanor records for marijuana use and possession automatically expunged without having to go through the courts. “We would […]
Michigan’s medical marijuana market could crash after recreational shops launch
Michigan has the second-largest population of medical marijuana patients in the nation, but that could change significantly after the recreational market launches in the state. Data from across the country show the number of medical marijuana patients significantly drops in a state once the product is legalized for recreational use, according to figures collected by […]
Minorities find themselves almost shut out of Michigan’s marijuana business
When Margeaux Bruner looked into the possibility of getting a license to enter the blossoming marijuana industry, she realized she would face some barriers that might be impossible to overcome. The Novi resident has bachelor’s and master’s degrees and worked in the logistics industry, which would be handy skills if she was able to get a secure […]
Michigan could face competition after Illinois legislature approves recreational pot
When Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs legislation legalizing recreational marijuana later this month, it will set up a race for the Midwest. Who gets to be first in the Midwest to kick off the market for legal weed and capitalize on a potential billion dollar industry, Michigan or Illinois? Michigan voters got a head start, […]
Michigan picks up pace of reviewing and awarding marijuana business licenses
Since the Michigan Medical Marijuana Licensing Board was abolished at the end of April, the Marijuana Regulatory Agency has dramatically picked up the pace of reviewing business applications. In May, the first full month of taking over licensing responsibilities, the MRA reviewed, and either approved, denied or gave preliminary approval to 213 license applications. In […]
Michigan’s new marijuana agency will regulate a market in turmoil
When Michigan officially consolidates pot business oversight into the Marijuana Regulatory Agency on Tuesday, state officials will be expected to tackle tough issues that are roiling the medical and recreational marijuana markets. There are lingering fears among Michigan’s marijuana businesses about the viability of a fully licensed market that has yet to produce a steady, tested supply that can meet the […]
Majoring in marijuana: Michigan universities expand their degree programs
Marijuana is moving from the dorm room to the classroom at Michigan universities. Two universities in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula are the first in the state to add cannabis-focused degree programs to their offerings. In Marquette, Northern Michigan University — which first launched its Medicinal Plant Chemistry program in 2017 — is expanding its lab space to be […]
Michigan’s unlicensed pot dispensaries to get firm closure deadline
Lawmakers will try to shutter unlicensed medical marijuana providers once and for all, as of June 1, under a bill now on a fast track in the Legislature. Earlier efforts to shut down providers who have not yet obtained licenses under Michigan’s new regulatory setup have been thwarted by court challenges. Under a bill introduced […]
Cresco Labs Receives Approval to Enter the Michigan Market
PRESS RELEASE CHICAGO & LANSING, Mich.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Cresco Labs Inc. (“Cresco Labs” or the “Company”) (CSE: CL) (OTCQX: CRLBF), one of the largest vertically integrated multistate cannabis operators in the United States, today announced that it has completed the most comprehensive portion of Michigan’s application process, being pre-qualified for a cultivation and processing license by […]
Michigan expects draft recreational marijuana rules by June
The state’s Bureau of Marijuana Regulation plans to have draft rules ready by June for the commercial production and sale of recreational marijuana. The issuance of those emergency administrative rules, however, might not occur until later in the year when the department can begin accepting applications for the recreational industry, bureau Director Andrew Brisbo told lawmakers Wednesday. […]
After 4 months, medical marijuana sales in Michigan exceed $42 million
Michigan’s medical marijuana market is growing beyond expectations, generating more than $42 million in sales since the first dispensary opened on Nov. 1. In the first month of operation, when only a few licensed dispensaries were open, $7.1 million in pot sales were recorded with the state Department of Licensing and Regulation. That figure grew […]
Gov. Whitmer signs executive order to abolish Michigan marijuana licensing board
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive order Friday abolishing the board that approves or denies applications for licenses for medical marijuana businesses. The action comes as the volunteer board has struggled to consider license applications in a timely manner, effectively stalling a fully viable medical marijuana market at a time when the much bigger recreational weed […]
Why marijuana sales on the black market are blooming in Michigan after legalization
Working as a cashier at a dead-end job, Jordan D. saw an opportunity to make piles of quick cash after recreational marijuana was legalized in December. The 25-year-old cobbled together enough money for a few ounces of top-shelf cannabis and began delivering his product to homes in metro Detroit. For a few hundred dollars a […]
Michigan proposes cutting fees for medical marijuana patients and growers
Medical marijuana cardholders and the caregivers who provide them with pot will get a break on the cost of getting registered under new rules proposed by the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. The rules, which won’t go into effect until later this year, would lower the cost of a two-year medical marijuana card […]
Michigan faces health risks from tainted medical marijuana
The recalls of six batches of medical marijuana available on the state’s regulated market since January have prompted industry and health expert concerns about continuing to let caregivers grow and create pot products to meet a shortage in the licensed market. More than 50 pounds of medical marijuana product were recalled in January from provisioning centers in […]
Michigan medical marijuana facilities given temporary licenses following shortage
More than 70 Michigan dispensaries operating under temporary licenses were forced to shut their doors at the beginning of 2019. In compliance with a set of bills passed in 2016, reforming the way the state regulates the production and sale of medical marijuana. The result was a shortage in medical marijuana, plaguing many areas in Michigan […]
