Law Michigan MMJ

[momofthegoons]

Here's a list of Detroit's legal, licensed marijuana provisioning centers that survived the crackdown

• Lee DeVito
• Motor City Kush is one of less than a dozen medical marijuana provisioning centers still open in Detroit following a state licensing crackdown.

Medical marijuana provisioning centers are finally getting licensed, and a handful of them are operating in Detroit. However, those that are unlicensed were supposed to have been shut down before Jan. 1. That crackdown should put a big squeeze on patients who depend on them for their medication.

It would seem that those locations that are open should be reaping the bounty. At least that's what some criminals seem to think.

A couple of weeks ago a group of them used a Dodge truck to ram through the wall at BotaniQ in Detroit. They caused an estimated $20,000 worth of damage to the building and got away with about $2,000 worth of cannabis products, according to Richard Sarfoh, a co-owner of the location.

This kind of thing is a sad reminder that doing any kind of business in Detroit can be a chancy endeavor. BotaniQ should reopen soon if it has not already. It was hard enough to get these places open legally, as the government has taken down hundreds across the state. Hopefully the criminals won't help finish the job for them.

Here is a list of the addresses of legal, licensed provisioning centers in Detroit as of a couple of weeks ago.


Green Skies Healing Tree, 15308 E. Eight Mile Rd.

The Green Mile, 6650 E. Eight Mile Rd.

Utopia Gardens, 6541 E. Lafayette St.

Amplified, 19705 W. Seven Mile Rd.

Motor City Kush, 10 E. Eight Mile Rd.

THC, 19533 W. Warren Ave.

5 & Dime, 20561 Dwyer St.

The House of Mary Jane, 19154 James Couzens Fwy.

Green Skies — Hoover, 20580 Hoover St.

Green Skies — Far West, 21221 W. Eight Mile Rd.

BotaniQ, 2540 Rosa Parks Blvd.

And here's hoping there are many more to come.

 

[momofthegoons]

Out of pot in Lansing
Legal medical marijuana drought keeps licensed shops shuttered

Looking for medical marijuana? Lansing might not be your best bet.

Only two dispensaries have been OK’d by the state to operate in the capital city. And neither has been able to open as an apparent shortage of medical-grade bud continues to pervade Michigan amid continued state licensing delays.

“Many patients will see their local stores close, making a hardship for sick and ill individuals,” according to Rick Thompson, a founding board member at the Michigan chapter of the National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws, or NORML. “Anyone with a heart or who has ever been sick knows this is bad for patients.”

Homegrown Lansing, 1116 E. Oakland St., and Cannaisseur, 3200 N. East St., were the only only pot shops in Lansing to net a state license in 2018. And a recent directive from state officials effectively ensured they’ll remain the only local shops that can open, at least until another round of state licenses are doled out next week.

Homegrown and Cannaisseur also remained closed this week after an administrative rule previously barred them from stocking shelves with products from anywhere other than a handful of licensed processors or growing facilities. The end-result: Lansing has entered into a total and indefinite drought of medical marijuana.

A voicemail greeting at Cannaisseur indicates the shop is “unable” to find licensed products for its patients. It also urges patients to contact Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, state legislators and LARA to demand an urgent change. A sign at Homegrown points to “new guidelines regarding licensed medical marijuana facilities” without details.

And with only 29 licensed growing facilities statewide and many still months away from harvest, concerns over a shortage in the supply chain have reached a boiling point. Attorneys have long suggested that the limited number of growing facilities are simply incapable of providing an adequate supply to some 300,000 patients.

“This is not like closing a liquor store,” Thompson added. “This is medicine. Treatment needs continuity in order to be effective. When these specialty medications are not available, it significantly affects the health and welfare of the people across the state. That should be a cause for concern for everyone involved.”

Jeffrey Hank, marijuana advocate and co-owner of Lansing-based Edgewood Wellness, said the new state rules spelled the end of the road for his weed-related business ventures — at least “until the state gets its act together.” He also apologized on Facebook to the hundreds of local patients that had relied on his expansive inventory.

Dispensaries need approval from the city and the state to operate. Edgewood Wellness, and 12 others were approved by City Clerk Chris Swope but haven’t yet reached Michigan’s Medical Marihuana Licensing Board for final approval. Hank also pointed blame to the state’s “failure” to process his application in a timely fashion.

The state set Dec. 31 as the deadline by which dispensaries that have yet to be fully licensed needed to close. David Harns, the spokesman for the Michigan Licensing and Regulatory Affairs Department, said the Dec. 31 deadline on temporarily operating facilities was designed to accommodate a transition from previously enacted emergency rules to more formalized guidelines. The new rules are also to be more permanent and provide clarity on restrictions that govern the entire industry, he said.

“It’s been known for some time that we’d make this transition,” Harns added. “We can’t have some businesses playing by one set of rules, competing with businesses that follow a different set. That’s just not a model for sustainable economic activity. At some point, we needed to move over to these administrative rules.”

A total of 52 dispensaries have been licensed by the state to operate. It’s unclear how many are open for business. Harns contended LARA has taken “great pains” for months to keep license-pending facilities open while slowly phasing into a fully regulated market. But a fair industry requires fair and enforceable restrictions, he said.

For LARA, that meant every unlicensed applicant was advised to stop selling pot immediately in 2019. Recently signed legislation will make those unlicensed operations criminal after June 1. The directive from LARA isn’t criminally enforceable but threatens to curtail the licensing process for rogue applicants that continue business.

Thompson said the industry is predicated on servicing sick people — and that mentality needs to take precedence over any administrative concerns. He urged Whitmer’s administration to take action through an executive order but labeled that maneuver as “highly unlikely” amid other, possibly more pressing priorities.

As for the perceived shortage of options in Lansing? Harns said that sounds like a “local question.” The state board can only license facilities that receive direct approval from their local municipalities. Lansing ordinances call for 20 dispensaries to be licensed in the first round of applications; Swope has only OK’d 13 local shops.

With locally denied shops pursuing ordinance-sanctioned license appeals, those remaining seven licenses might need to wait until March, Swope said. Meanwhile, his office announced last month it was accepting applications for five more licenses — then turned around last week and put that process on hold until appeals are resolved.

Most approved applicants have vacant storefronts, but Swope maintained that patient access remains a priority. The goal, he said in a recent release, is to “provide the best service to their patients and safety to our neighborhoods, while employing workers at a fair wage, and bringing an influx of long-term investment to Lansing.”

Rushing through the process would only create legal and logistical challenges, he added.

“We don’t have a timeline,” Swope said.

“We’re just working through the applications. There’s obviously a whole process with the licenses with the state. Some (applicants) haven’t moved forward with the state. Others have been denied. We’ve had some ready to go and then they’ve been turned down by the licensing board.”

Swope also noted some recent state denials for marijuana businesses “sounded questionable,” shifting blame back to state officials. The politically appointed state board — with three Republicans and two Democrats — has been widely criticized for what some believe to be an unfair level of scrutiny when reviewing applications.

Thompson points to dozens of state applicants he claims have been rejected licenses for “trivial” reasons. Perhaps most notably, former Detroit Lions players Calvin Johnson and Rob Sims were denied a dispensary license last month in part because of minor, unpaid traffic tickets that Johnson had accrued while visiting family in Georgia.

Continued troubles with the licensing board’s discretion are also part of the reason Proposal One to legalize recreational marijuana specifically sought to eliminate a formal board approval process for eventual applicants, Thompson added. He also believes the Whitmer administration will continue to oppose a board-centric process.

It’s still unclear, however, how the licensing process will unfold under new state leadership. Whitmer hasn’t spoken much on the topic but she told the Detroit Free Press that one body could eventually oversee both the medical and recreational licensing process. She also recognized past “mistakes” within the existing system.

“I want to make sure we have all the facts and work with the attorney general on that too,” she told the Free Press. “One of the biggest mistakes we made in 2008 when we passed medical marijuana is that there were never rules promulgated, and that’s what led to such a disparate system. And I don’t want to make that mistake again.”

 

[momofthegoons]

This blurb was just released by Michigan NORML :

Caregivers restored into the MMFLA system until March 31.

January 15, 2019 – The Dept. of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) will recommend tomorrow that the Medical Marihuana Licensing Board (MMLB) adopt a resolution which will help maintain patient access to medical marijuana. LARA’s recommendation will allow temporarily operating facilities to reopen without it being an impediment to future licensure and will also allow licensed facilities to source product from caregivers without it resulting in disciplinary action.

 

[Shredder]

This blurb was just released by Michigan NORML :

Yay Gretchen! Elections matter.

 

[momofthegoons]

Here's the official announcement:

Medical Marijuana Patients Protected Under LARA Recommendation Regarding Temporary Operating Facilities

January 15, 2019 – The Dept. of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) will recommend tomorrow that the Medical Marihuana Licensing Board (MMLB) adopt a resolution which will help maintain patient access to medical marijuana. LARA’s recommendation will allow temporarily operating facilities to reopen without it being an impediment to future licensure and will also allow licensed facilities to source product from caregivers without it resulting in disciplinary action.

“We have heard from Michiganders closely affected by the ongoing transition to licensed marijuana facilities,” said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. “It is important that we ensure that patients have access to their medicine while the medical marijuana industry continues to develop.”

“This recommendation will extend the temporary operation of facilities and allow licensed businesses to remain competitive during this transition period,” said LARA Director Orlene Hawks.

LARA recommends that the MMLB adopt a resolution that makes it clear that disciplinary action will not be taken against an applicant in the following circumstances:

Temporarily Operating Facilities (through March 31, 2019)

• The applicant’s proposed facility is within a municipality that had an authorizing ordinance in place by December 15, 2017.
• The applicant applied for a license no later than February 15, 2018.
• The applicant notifies the Department within one business day of becoming aware of any adverse reaction to a marijuana product sold or transferred.

Licensed Provisioning Centers (through March 31, 2019)

The Board will not take disciplinary action against a licensed provisioning center for purchasing marijuana products from either a registered primary caregiver or from a temporarily operating facility, as long as the licensee does all the following:

• Obtain signed patient consent prior to selling any marijuana products that have not been tested in full compliance with the law and administrative rules.
• Enter all inventory into the statewide monitoring system immediately upon receipt from a caregiver or from a temporarily operating facility.
• Verify and confirm – before any sale or transfer – with government issued photo identification and the statewide monitoring system that the customer holds a valid registry identification card.
• Enter all sales in the statewide monitoring system and determine sales will not exceed daily purchasing limits.
• Notify LARA within one business day of becoming aware of any adverse reaction to a marijuana product sold or transferred.

Licensed Growers or Processors (through March 31, 2019)

The Board will not take disciplinary action against a licensed grower or processor for purchasing marijuana products from either a registered primary caregiver or from a temporarily operating facility, as long as the licensee does all the following:

• Enter all marijuana products as inventory into the statewide monitoring system immediately upon receipt.
• Tag or package all inventory that has been identified in the statewide monitoring system.
• Only transfer marijuana products that have been tested in full compliance with the law and administrative rules.
• Notify LARA within one business day of becoming aware of any adverse reaction to a marijuana product sold or transferred.

 

[momofthegoons]

Michigan quietly repeals CBD ban, sets hemp fees

Michigan is opening its CBD market beyond medical marijuana dispensaries after the governor signed a bill enabling the manufacture and use of hemp-derived CBD, the Detroit Free Press reported.

The new law reverses a CBD limit enacted in May 2018 by Michigan’s Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs and the Bureau of Medical Marihuana Regulation, which ruled that even possessing CBD products in the state is illegal without a medical marijuana card.

Michigan’s CBD rule was blamed for driving manufacturers out of state.

The new law takes effect in March and creates a new hemp “processor-handler license.”

Michigan voters decided last November to lift restrictions on growing industrial hemp.

The new law sets hemp fees at:

• $1,350 for an annual license to process hemp.
• $100 for an annual fee to grow hemp.

Michigan estimates it will need about three employees and $500,000 to run its new hemp program.

 

[Shredder]

Michigan quietly repeals CBD ban, sets hemp fees

Michigan is opening its CBD market beyond medical marijuana dispensaries after the governor signed a bill enabling the manufacture and use of hemp-derived CBD, the Detroit Free Press reported.

The new law reverses a CBD limit enacted in May 2018 by Michigan’s Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs and the Bureau of Medical Marihuana Regulation, which ruled that even possessing CBD products in the state is illegal without a medical marijuana card.

Michigan’s CBD rule was blamed for driving manufacturers out of state.

The new law takes effect in March and creates a new hemp “processor-handler license.”

Michigan voters decided last November to lift restrictions on growing industrial hemp.

The new law sets hemp fees at:

• $1,350 for an annual license to process hemp.
• $100 for an annual fee to grow hemp.

Michigan estimates it will need about three employees and $500,000 to run its new hemp program.

To me it doesn't address what I see as the biggest problem. Some CBD concoctions don't actually contain CBD, and even if they do there's no amounts listed. I'd like a dosage listed on every bottle to eliminate the scams.

 

[Baron23]

This blurb was just released by Michigan NORML :

That crap about currently being open possibly effecting your ability to get licensed was ALWAYS complete prohibitionist bullshit.

The new law reverses a CBD limit enacted in May 2018 by Michigan’s Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs and the Bureau of Medical Marihuana Regulation, which ruled that even possessing CBD products in the state is illegal without a medical marijuana card.

And this was even more utter bullshit.

 

[Baron23]

Michigan medical marijuana recalled for fourth time as officials encourage independent testing

Medical marijuana products sold at an Ypsilanti provisioning center are being recalled after they failed to meet state testing standards, Michigan officials announced Friday.

It’s the fourth mandatory recall this month from the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs of caregiver product sold untested in December, and fifth recall in total. All told, more than 48 pounds of medical marijuana has been recalled in the past two weeks, according to the Bureau of Marijuana Regulation.

Officials allowed provisioning centers to sell untested caregiver products until Dec. 31 to address a medical marijuana shortage in the state as the industry launches. Now that the products are being tested, many are failing to meet state standards. Last week, two recalls were issued that affected multiple strains of marijuana flower sold at shops in Detroit, Kalamazoo and Lansing.

This week, Bureau of Marijuana Regulation Director Andrew Brisbo encouraged patients to seek out independent testing of any medical marijuana products they purchase that are untested. State-licensed labs can be found online at www.michigan.gov/BMR or by calling 517-284-8599.

“The use of untested marijuana products may lead to adverse reactions or worsen existing health conditions and such products are used at a patient’s own risk,” according to a statement from the bureau.

To date, no illnesses from patients consuming untested marijuana have been reported to the bureau. Patients are asked to sign waivers when they purchase untested product from provisioning centers.



Medical marijuana contaminated with mold, chemicals recalled from Michigan shops

Three provisioning centers are affected by the recall.

Separately, a recall was issued Jan. 4 of five different medical marijuana products from Choice Labs due to a data input error. State officials said they couldn’t tell if the products had been tested, and issued a voluntary recall.

Despite the recalls, regulators have still decided to continue to allow provisioning centers to sell untested medical marijuana grown by caregivers to patients until March 31. The move addresses a continuing medical marijuana shortage, and three lawsuits filed against the state regarding its Dec. 31 licensing crackdown.



Michigan medical marijuana shops can reopen unlicensed

State officials will allow unlicensed medical marijuana shops to reopen until March 31.

“This is the system working properly,” said Rick Thompson, a board member of Michigan NORML and MILegalize. “All the cannabis provided in 2018 was all from caregivers. If we didn’t hear of any illnesses in 2018, then it doesn’t rise to the level of emergency or concern in my mind.”

The Friday, Jan. 18, recall affects several strains of marijuana flower, shatter and a Rick Simpson Oil product sold at Sticky Ypsi at 1090 N. Huron River Drive in Ypsilanti. The products were sold from Dec. 14, 2018, to Jan. 3.

Lab testing revealed the products were contaminated with chemical residue, and some products had residual industrial solvents, yeast and mold. Anyone with the recalled products should return them to the provisioning center for proper disposal.

Here are the specific products affected by the Jan. 18 recall:

Black Cherry Pie Buds

1A4050100000CE5000000364

Failed for chemical residue

Punch Shatter 1g

1A4050100000CE5000000112

Failed for residual solvents

Gorilla Dosha Buds

1A4050100000CE5000000299

Failed for chemical residue

OG 18 Shatter .5g

1A4050100000CE5000000142

Failed for chemical residue

Galactic Meds Polar Bar R.S.O. 1g

1A4050100000CE5000000200

Failed for chemical residue

Purple Kush Buds

1A4050100000CE5000000216

Failed for total yeast and mold and chemical residue

 

[momofthegoons]

Michigan should stop untested medical marijuana sales, state-licensed labs say



Citing patient safety concerns, every state-licensed lab in Michigan is urging state officials to reverse a recent decision allowing for sales of untested medical marijuana.

Last week Bureau of Marijuana Regulation officials decided to allow a number of unlicensed provisioning centers to temporarily reopen, and to allow provisioning centers to purchase marijuana from caregivers and sell it untested until March 31. Regulators were responding to a medical marijuana shortage in the state.

The Michigan Coalition of Independent Cannabis Testing Laboratories sent a letter to state officials Jan. 18, claiming the sale of untested caregiver marijuana "poses a serious safety risk to Michigan's patient population."

Marijuana grown by caregivers has fed Michigan's medical retail industry from its beginning.
During December 2018, state regulators specifically allowed licensed provisioning centers to sell untested marijuana grown by caregivers to patients in the name of patient access. Once the state required caregiver product to be tested after Jan. 1, tests revealed a total of 48 pounds of marijuana was contaminated with chemicals, E. coli and mold, among other issues. Four mandatory recalls were issued within two weeks.

No patients reported illness to the state, said bureau spokesman David Harns. State officials have encouraged patients to seek out their own testing of products they buy -- and patients must sign a waiver before buying any untested marijuana.
“The latest ruling by LARA, affirmed by the Board, is a major setback to those who require access to safe medical cannabis,” wrote Ben Rosman, CEO of PSI Labs, in the letter sent on behalf of the lab coalition. “Under this new ruling, Michigan’s most vulnerable patients are buying purported medical cannabis products that could legitimately harm them.”

The Michigan Coalition of Independent Cannabis Testing Laboratories includes all four of the state-licensed medical marijuana laboratories. The letter is also signed on behalf of two provisioning centers, CannArbor and Green Peak Industries; five processors; two secure transporter companies; growers BlueSol Biomedical, Pure Green and the two biggest growers in the state -- Green Peak Industries and VB Chesaning.





The coalition is urging the state to require any medical marijuana products sold to first be tested to weed out the worst violators.

At PSI Labs in Ann Arbor, testing of 160 samples of caregiver products revealed that more than 60 percent failed testing for pesticides and microbial contamination, Rosman wrote in the letter.

"More alarming than the failure rate is the sheer magnitude of pesticide failure," Rosman wrote. "MICIL members have reported caregiver results containing thousands of times higher the allowable limits of pesticides."

State officials have received the letter from the lab coalition and are reviewing it, Harns said.

The newly formed Michigan Cannabis Industry Association backs the state’s decision, and is compiling a list of provisioning centers that are selling tested marijuana, said Josh Hovey, the group’s spokesman.

“The MCIA supports the state’s decision to temporarily allow provisioning centers to purchase products from caregivers, but it is just that -- a temporary solution,” Hovey said in a statement. “The long term solution is to have a fully functioning market where all products are regulated and tested for purity. That’s why it’s critical for the Bureau of Marijuana Regulation and the Licensing Board to quickly approve additional licenses so that we do not have another product shortage when the March 31 deadline hits.”

 

[momofthegoons]

Partner Attorneys:
Matthew R. Abel, J.D.
Ann M. Cisco, J.D. Thomas M.J. Lavigne, J.D.

Associate Attorneys: Julia A. Gilbert, J.D. Sean M. Myers, J.D.

Of Counsel:
Alan L. Kaufman, J.D. Steven N. Rich, J.D.

Cannabis Counsel® Is a Registered Trademark of Rivertown Law Firm P.L.C. d/b/a Cannabis Counsel®

www.cannabiscounsel.com

2930 Jefferson Avenue East Detroit, Michigan 48207 tel. 313-446-2235 fax. 313-784-9327

info@cannabiscounsel.com


Cannabis Counsel®

Poet John Sinclair and others file lawsuit to remove marihuana from the Michigan Controlled Substances Act.

January 22, 2019
A group of citizens and NGOs led by Michigan poet John Sinclair and including a physician, a pharmacist, a medical marihuana patient, together with MINORML and the Michigan Medical Marijuana Association have sued the Michigan Board of Pharmacy and its chairperson Nichole Cover seeking to declare void the Board’s continued listing of marihuana as a controlled substance under state law.

Under Michigan law, the Board of Pharmacy is charged with the duty to schedule, re-schedule, and de-schedule substances based upon their medical benefits, relative harm and potential for abuse. Notwithstanding the passage of the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act and the Medical Marihuana Facilities Licensing Act, the Board continues to list marihuana as a Schedule I drug with no accepted medical benefits and high potential for abuse. Thus, in spite of sweeping change, marihuana remains contraband in Michigan, subject to summary search and seizure.

According to the lawsuit, in passing the Facilities Licensing Act the Legislature recognized the medical benefits of marihuana and displaced the controlled substances act’s listing of marihuana as Schedule I contraband. It also displaced the requirement that marihuana be prescribed by a physician, dispensed by a pharmacist, and handled by persons with a controlled substances license. Given the law’s requirement that “harmful drugs” may be dispensed only by prescription, marijuana can no longer be classified as a harmful, controlled substance.

Plaintiffs state that the absurdity of marihuana’s continued inclusion on Michigan’s list of controlled substances is demonstrated by the contradictory positions that Ms. Cover faces as chairperson of the Pharmacy Board. Ms. Cover also sits on the Medical Marihuana Licensing Board established by the legislature to address “the necessity for access to safe sources of marihuana for medical use and the immediate need for growers, processors, secure transporters, provisioning centers, and safety compliance facilities.” Ms. Cover is also affiliated with Walgreens Pharmacy whose position on marihuana is that it “has been used to relieve pain, digestive and psychological disorders for more than 3,000 years....”

Rivertown Law Firm P.L.C. d/b/a Cannabis Counsel® 1 of the above 3 Registered Trademarks of Rivertown Law Firm P.L.C.

1 of 2

And yet the Pharmacy Board continues to adhere to the proposition that marihuana “has high potential for abuse and has no accepted medical use in treatment in the United States or lacks accepted safety for use in treatment under medical supervision.” According to plaintiffs, this irreconcilable conflict renders void marihuana’s continued listing as a controlled substance under Michigan law.

For Mr. Sinclair, this matter bookends a life dedicated to social justice. As a young man in the 1960’s – more than fifty years ago -- he advocated for marihuana reform and an end to the Viet Nam war. Then his poetry, music, and advocacy brought him into the crosshairs of law enforcement. He was arrested in 1967 and sentenced to 9 1⁄2 to 10 years in prison for giving two joints of marijuana to an undercover policewoman named Lovelace. This followed a year-long undercover infiltration of his group of friends, family, and colleagues. His arrest galvanized opposition to the drastic and cruel marijuana laws in Michigan. Thousands rallied with musicians Stevie Wonder, Bob Seger, and John Lennon and Yoko Ono singing for his release.

Mr. Sinclair had already served 29 months in prison by the time he was released on bond (three days after the Ann Arbor rally) by the Michigan Supreme Court. Three months later, the Court overturned Sinclair’s conviction and ruled that the state’s marijuana law was unfair and unreasonable and that it was unconstitutional to classify marijuana with narcotics such as opium.

As Mr. Sinclair has written, “Oh we were young & made of America.” Plaintiffs are represented by attorneys Matthew Abel and Michael Komorn.

Contact:
Matthew Abel
(313) 446-2235 attorneyabel@me.com

Michael Komorn
(800) 656-3557 michael@komornlaw.com

Press conference at Cannabis Counsel® 2930 E. Jefferson Avenue, Detroit, MI 48207 1-23-19 Wednesday 4:20 p.m. including John Sinclair, and attorneys: Matthew Abel, Michael Komorn, Thomas Lavigne and Jeff Frasier

 

[Baron23]

Michigan Board of Pharmacy and its chairperson Nichole Cover

Mom...is she a frakin' idiot? Wasn't she involved with some other idiocy with some other lady...something about trying to grab power over MJ legalization maybe??? Other gal was fired, maybe???

 

[Baron23]

@momofthegoons - the bad news just keeps coming....wow.

Marijuana containing arsenic, cadmium recalled from Michigan medical shop

Thirteen strains of marijuana sold from November 2018 to January 2019 at a licensed medical marijuana provisioning center in Ypsilanti are being recalled, state officials announced Friday, Feb. 1.

The medical marijuana failed to meet state standards when tested -- and some of the strains were contaminated with the heavy metals cadmium and arsenic, according to the Bureau of Marijuana Regulation.

The recall affects medical marijuana sold at The Patient Station at 539 South Huron in Ypsilanti from Nov. 14, 2018, to Jan. 22, 2019.




Michigan should stop untested medical marijuana sales, state-licensed labs say

A business coalition claims selling untested marijuana poses a serious safety risk to patients.

This is the fifth mandatory recall this year of marijuana grown by caregivers and sold to patients untested.

During December 2018, state regulators specifically allowed licensed provisioning centers to sell untested marijuana grown by caregivers to patients in the name of patient access. Once the state required caregiver product to be tested after Jan. 1, tests revealed a total of 48 pounds of marijuana was contaminated with chemicals, E. coli and mold, among other issues. Four mandatory recalls were issued within two weeks.

Two weeks ago Bureau of Marijuana Regulation officials decided to allow provisioning centers to again purchase marijuana from caregivers and sell it untested until March 31, and to allow a number of unlicensed provisioning centers to temporarily reopen. Regulators were responding to a medical marijuana shortage in the state.

The state’s actions met backlash from every state-licensed lab in Michigan. The Michigan Coalition of Independent Cannabis Testing Laboratories, as well as two provisioning centers; five processors; two secure transporter companies; growers BlueSol Biomedical, Pure Green and the two biggest growers in the state -- Green Peak Industries and VB Chesaning -- sent a letter to regulators Jan. 18 urging them to change their minds.

“Michigan’s most vulnerable patients are buying purported medical cannabis products that could legitimately harm them," wrote Ben Rosman, CEO of PSI Labs, in the letter sent on behalf of the lab coalition.

No patients reported illness to the state, said bureau spokesman David Harns. State officials have encouraged patients to seek out their own testing of products they buy -- and patients must sign a waiver before buying any untested marijuana.

Here are the strains affected by the Feb. 1 recall:

• Afghan Kush 1A4050100000899000000873 Failed for cadmium and chemical residue
• ATF 1A4050100000899000000006 1A4050100000899000000917 Failed for chemical residue
• Chiquita Banana 1A4050100000899000000871 Failed for chemical residue
• Flo 1A4050100000899000000863 1A4050100000899000000899 Failed for moisture content
• Gas Monkey 1A4050100000899000000835 Failed for chemical residue
• Green Crack 1A4050100000899000000804 Failed for arsenic, chemical residue, and moisture content
• Gorilla Grip 1A4050100000899000000874 1A4050100000899000000906 1A4050100000899000000908 Failed for chemical residue and moisture content
• Kimbo Kush 1A4050100000899000000875 1A4050100000899000000934 1A4050100000899000000935 Failed for chemical residue
• Querkle 1A4050100000899000000870 1A4050100000899000000939 Failed for chemical residue
• Sugar Black Rose 1A4050100000899000000876 1A4050100000899000000916 Failed for arsenic and chemical residue
• Sunset Bubba Kush 1A4050100000899000000867 Failed for moisture content
• Sunset Sherbet 1A4050100000899000000898 Failed for moisture content
• Wonderdog 1A4050100000899000000872 1A4050100000899000000942 Failed for chemical residue and moisture content

Anyone with the recalled products should return them to the provisioning center for proper disposal.




Michigan medical marijuana recalled for fourth time as officials encourage independent testing

Marijuana sold at a provisioning center in Ypsilanti failed to meet state standards.

In January more than more than 48 pounds of medical marijuana was recalled, according to the Bureau of Marijuana Regulation.

Here are the past four recalls of caregiver product:

• Jan. 18: Mandatory recall of products sold at Sticky Ypsi at 1090 N. Huron River Drive in Ypsilanti
• Jan. 11: Mandatory recall of four strains of marijuana flower sold at HG Lansing at 1116 E. Oakland Ave. in Lansing
• Jan. 11: Mandatory recall of four strains of marijuana flower sold at The Green Mile Detroit at 6650 E. Eight Mile Road in Detroit
• Jan. 11: Mandatory recall of 11 strains of marijuana sold at Compassionate Care by Design at 401 N. Sage St. in Kalamazoo

Jan. 4, the state issued a voluntary recall of five different products sold at approximately 15 or more licensed provisioning centers due to computer input errors that did not show if the products had been tested.

 

[momofthegoons]

Michigan promises medical marijuana cards within 3 days as online services launch

Applying for a medical marijuana card in Michigan -- and renewing it -- can now be done online through a state website.

The new services mean state officials believe they can issue medical marijuana identification cards at a faster pace.

“If an applicant’s physician certifies the medical use of marijuana online, the patient could potentially be issued a registry identification card within 2-3 business days," said Andrew Brisbo, director of the Bureau of Marijuana Regulation, in a statement.

The state’s Bureau of Marijuana Regulation has been adding online services for medical marijuana patients for the past several months. Previously patients had to apply, renew and update their information by mailing in paper documents.

In October 2018 the state launched the first wave of services by offering online applications for identification cards online through an account.

This January officials have added new features to the online account options, including the ability to update patient personal information, remove caregivers and the option to withdraw from the program.

“We are pleased to be able to make these services available online,” said Orlene Hawks, Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs director, in a statement. “It’s a small but significant step in making access to government services easier for Michigan residents. Our new online capabilities deliver services where and when and at the times our constituents need them.”

The new online services also extent to doctors who register with the Michigan Medical Marihuana Program, who will be able to certify their patients' medical use of marijuana online after conducting in-person medical evaluations.

The online registry card portal can be found at www.michigan.gov/BMRonline and by clicking on the “Registry Cards” tab.

 

[momofthegoons]

Oakland County to get its 'first licensed marijuana dispensary'

As Michigan enters the brave new world of legal recreational marijuana, some long-time holdouts in law enforcement are expected to stand down.

Front and center? Oakland County’s high-profile top cop, Sheriff Michael Bouchard.

Although 63 percent of Michigan voters approved medical marijuana in 2008, Bouchard has been a leader, along with former Michigan Attorney General Bill Schutte, in quashing efforts in the decade since then to allow sales outlets for medical marijuana. That's a key reason why dozens of the outlets called dispensaries sprung up along the south side of Eight Mile Road in Detroit, on Wayne County's more tolerant turf.

Now, it looks like even Bouchard, one of the nation's best-known and most-admired county sheriffs, must yield to the tide of legal cannabis after Michigan voters in November legalized the recreational use of marijuana.

Co-owner Jerry Millen, center, talks to team leader Angie Roullier as they arrange products before tomorrow's grand opening at the Greenhouse in Walled Lake, Thursday, Jan. 31, 2019. (Photo: Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press)


On Friday, a shop billed as Oakland County’s “first licensed dispensary” plans to open in Walled Lake. It's even offering 20 percent-off “Super Bowl specials” to those who show up this weekend in the appropriate NFL jerseys — Rams or Patriots — said team leader Angie Roullier, who along with another leader has been training the staff of 10.

Roullier has muscular dystrophy and she said that “cannabis really changed my life” after she weaned herself from three decades of prescription drugs.

The opening comes a decade after Bouchard ordered undercover officers from OAKNET — the Oakland County Narcotics Enforcement Team — to gather evidence prior to a police raid of what then-Ferndale Mayor Craig Covey said was the county's first dispensary, called Clinical Relief.


That shop had opened with the Ferndale City Council’s enthusiastic approval. But the ill-fated venture never reopened after OAKNET officers arrested more than two dozen people at the site.

In Walled Lake, the City Council has been equally enthused about the opening of the Greenhouse on Pontiac Trail. And the new outlet's CEO, Jerry Millen, said he doesn't expect trouble from Sheriff Bouchard or the county's narcotics investigators, after he paid $66,000 for a state license and gained full approval to open under the state's new law.

"I’m going to be the first one licensed in Oakland County for a while, I think, so I’m going to be under the microscope. I'm doing everything by the book" and thus, not worrying about Oakland County's drug enforcers, Millen said.


Royal Oak-based defense attorney Barton Morris, who specializes in defending marijuana clients, states on his firm's website: “In Oakland County, there have been instances of conducting raids without warrants, suspects not being Mirandized prior to questioning, use of excessive force on the accused, improper vehicle searches and cover-ups within the unit to protect its members.”

The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office declined several requests over several days to comment for this article.

Millen was a sportscaster on Channel 50 television from 1996 to 2003, and now he's a manager of mixed-martial arts fighters on the MMA pro circuit. He has two investing partners in the dispensary whose namesake building is, literally, a green building that resembles a large house, he said.

The Greenhouse in Walled Lake, Thursday, Jan. 31, 2019. (Photo: Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press)


Built in the late 1800s, the historic building has been a rooming house and a general store, and part of it once was a pharmacy, Millen said.

"I have a picture of it with horse and buggies around it," he said, chuckling.

Millen bought the building four years ago, "and we completely gutted it," he said.

"We were hoping to put in this kind of business. There were a couple of other dispensaries here at the time, but I knew that Sheriff Bouchard was not friendly to marijuana," he said, adding: "I have small children and I really didn't want guns pointed at them" in a police raid.

Sure enough, Millen's shop and the two others were ordered closed in 2016 by the Oakland County Sheriff's Office, and since then only the Greenhouse has received a state license to re-open, according to Walled Lake City Manager Dennis Whitt.

Millen had never actually opened his shop in 2016, Whitt said.

“Jerry Millen was almost up and running, but he waited. He took no chances. He never did anything to cause the county to raid him.

“Now, he’s literally the first person in Oakland County to get one of these new (state) licenses. And we looked at his building — everything looked very good — so we gave him a city business license,” Whitt said.

Whitt, who has been the city manager of Walled Lake for nearly nine years, said attitudes have shifted dramatically since his days as a police officer in Florida, where he often made arrests in marijuana cases.

“I don’t know if the sheriff is going to change, but his constituents would be better served if he recognized the vote of the people of Michigan” legalizing all forms of marijuana, Whitt said.

A reception room with two bud bars is featured at the Greenhouse in Walled Lake, Thursday, Jan. 31, 2019. (Photo: Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press)


The Greenhouse will sell marijuana only to customers with State of Michigan medical-marijuana cards — for now.

Could it seamlessly become a store for anyone 21 and older in the near future?

"I hope so, for sure. The Michigan voters have spoken," voting to make marijuana fully legal in November, Millen said, adding: "I think in the next four or five years, federally you’ll see a change," lifting the federal law that currently puts marijuana in the same illegal category — called Schedule I — as heroin and LSD.

 

[momofthegoons]

Here we go again.... The question that has been brought up in the comments is who were the caregivers that supplied this cannabis to the dispos? Have their patients been made aware?

Notification of Multiple Marijuana Products Recall

The Bureau of Marijuana Regulation (BMR) is issuing a health and safety advisory recall due to the sale of marijuana which failed laboratory testing.

The products were sold between 11/13/2018 and 2/1/2019 at 664 Vassar, LLC (Elite Wellness Vassar). All affected medical marijuana has a label affixed to the container that, at a minimum, indicates the license number of the marijuana facility that obtained the marijuana product, as well as the production batch number assigned to the marijuana product.

This recall affects the following marijuana products sold from 664 Vassar, LLC (Elite Wellness Vassar) – License PC-000035 – located at 664 State Road, Vassar, MI:


Agent Orange (Flower)

1A405010000089B000000349 Failed for chemical residue

AK Extracts Crumble (Concentrate)

1A405010000089B000000287 Failed for chemical residue

Blue Cheese (Flower)

1A405010000089B000000158 Failed for chemical residue

Detroit Growers Extracts (Edible)

1A405010000089B000000003 Failed for chemical residue

Grand Daddy Purp (Flower)

1A405010000089B000000107 Failed for chemical residue

Ice Cream Cake (Flower)

1A405010000089B000000355 Failed for chemical residue

Lemon Drop (Flower)

1A405010000089B000000246 Failed for chemical residue

Orange Skittles (Flower)

1A405010000089B000000325 Failed for chemical residue and bile tolerant bacteria

Super Lemon OG (Flower)

1A405010000089B000000354 Failed for chemical residue

Patients or caregivers who have these affected medical marijuana products in their possession should return them to 664 Vassar, LLC (Elite Wellness Vassar) for proper disposal. 664 Vassar, LLC must notify patients or caregivers that purchased these medical marijuana products of the recall.

For more information about BMR, please visit www.michigan.gov/bmr For more information about LARA, please visit www.michigan.gov/lara

 

[momofthegoons]

Cuts to medical marijuana card fees proposed after state rakes in $7M extra cash

The cost of applying for a medical marijuana card in Michigan could drop to $40, after state officials realized they collected nearly $7 million more in fees last year than they needed to cover the program’s operational budget.

In the past three years, fees paid by patients and caregivers to the state for medical marijuana cards have generated enough money to cover the operations of the program for at least the next five years, according to a request filed with the state’s Office of Regulatory Reinvention.

In the 2018 fiscal year, the state collected $11.97 million in fees from medical marijuana patients and caregivers -- but only needed $5.33 million to run the program, according to Bureau of Marijuana Regulation. That year 146,505 people applied to become patients, and 38,937 patients sought to renew their cards.

From 2015 to 2018, excess fee revenue has been appropriated to fund grants to sheriff’s offices across the state in the name of enforcing the Medical Marihuana Act.

The bureau is now proposing a number of changes to fees that medical marijuana patients and caregivers face.

Those include dropping the application fee for new patients from $60 to $40, dropping a $25 background check fee for caregivers and cutting a $10 fee to update information on a registry card.

The department is able to cover those costs with the money the program has already brought in.

“Our team has worked hard to streamline the process for medical marijuana cardholders in Michigan,” said Orlene Hawks, director of the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. “The proposed updated rules will dramatically lower the costs associated with medical marijuana registry cards for Michigan residents.”

There are 294,105 medical marijuana patients and 41,989 registered caregivers as of February 1, 2019, according to the bureau.

Other proposed changes to the Michigan Medical Marihuana Program include increasing the time patients have to renew their cards from 60 to 90 days, and allowing state staff to email patients, caregivers and physicians to verify information in applications.

The state recently added more online services for medical marijuana patients, with the potential for cards to be issued to patients within three days.

 

[Shredder]

Cuts to medical marijuana card fees proposed after state rakes in $7M extra cash

The cost of applying for a medical marijuana card in Michigan could drop to $40, after state officials realized they collected nearly $7 million more in fees last year than they needed to cover the program’s operational budget.

In the past three years, fees paid by patients and caregivers to the state for medical marijuana cards have generated enough money to cover the operations of the program for at least the next five years, according to a request filed with the state’s Office of Regulatory Reinvention.

In the 2018 fiscal year, the state collected $11.97 million in fees from medical marijuana patients and caregivers -- but only needed $5.33 million to run the program, according to Bureau of Marijuana Regulation. That year 146,505 people applied to become patients, and 38,937 patients sought to renew their cards.

From 2015 to 2018, excess fee revenue has been appropriated to fund grants to sheriff’s offices across the state in the name of enforcing the Medical Marihuana Act.

The bureau is now proposing a number of changes to fees that medical marijuana patients and caregivers face.

Those include dropping the application fee for new patients from $60 to $40, dropping a $25 background check fee for caregivers and cutting a $10 fee to update information on a registry card.

The department is able to cover those costs with the money the program has already brought in.

“Our team has worked hard to streamline the process for medical marijuana cardholders in Michigan,” said Orlene Hawks, director of the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. “The proposed updated rules will dramatically lower the costs associated with medical marijuana registry cards for Michigan residents.”

There are 294,105 medical marijuana patients and 41,989 registered caregivers as of February 1, 2019, according to the bureau.

Other proposed changes to the Michigan Medical Marihuana Program include increasing the time patients have to renew their cards from 60 to 90 days, and allowing state staff to email patients, caregivers and physicians to verify information in applications.

The state recently added more online services for medical marijuana patients, with the potential for cards to be issued to patients within three days.

I imagine the state will lose a lot of patients now that it's legal. So does that mean costs will go up again as less patients renew? Or will they hold the line to keep patients in the system? My guess is they don't really care if we're patients or not.

 

[momofthegoons]

Michigan expects $18.2M in taxes on medical marijuana this year

Michigan’s newly regulated medical marijuana program is expected to bring in $18.2 million in sales tax revenue this fiscal year, according to treasury officials.

The Department of Treasury doesn’t specifically track sales tax revenue from the program as it comes in monthly -- so it remains to be seen if the program will net that amount in 2019, said Ron Leix, treasury spokesman.

The state is embarking on its first full year of a licensed and regulated medical marijuana market. From October 2018 to Feb. 4 -- the first four months of sales tracked in the program -- a total of $30.2 million in medical marijuana was sold, according to the Bureau of Marijuana Regulation.

Theoretically, the state would have collected $1.8 million in sales tax during those four months if the standard six percent tax was applied. The nonpartisan Senate Fiscal Agency projected the program could collect up to $50 million a year in sales tax once the market establishes itself, according to its 2016 analysis of the Medical Marihuana Facilities Licensing Act.

Though there’s cash coming in to the state, the launch of regulations on medical marijuana is off to a rocky start as 60 pounds of marijuana products have been recalled after failing lab testing. Almost 6,300 pounds of medical marijuana was sold from October 2018 to Feb. 4, according to the bureau.

The Bureau of Marijuana Regulation is processing tens of thousands of dollars in cash at a time as businesses bring in their sales tax payments monthly -- yet another sign of banking challenges for the marijuana industry.

James Campbell, owner of NUMBERS Professional Accounting Services in Royal Oak, has handled cannabis business taxes for 10 years in Michigan.

“A lot of these guys are paying in cash,” Campbell said of sales tax payments to the state. “People show up with bundles of money.”
Revenue from all of the state’s sales taxes is mostly allocated to the School Aid Fund, and a smaller portion is shared back with municipalities through its constitutional revenue sharing program -- though local officials have been critical in the past of how much money is actually returned to them.

In addition to the state’s six percent sales tax, medical marijuana is also subject to a three percent excise tax. To date the treasury has collected $112,800 from the excise tax, Leix said.

Though the Senate Fiscal Agency projected the three percent excise tax could eventually garner $24 million, that revenue stream will be short-lived. The excise tax ends March 6, due to a provision in the 2016 law that takes effect since marijuana was legalized for adult use in November.

Revenue from that tax is destined for the Medical Marihuana Excise Fund, of which 25 percent goes to local municipalities that agreed to allow medical marijuana facilities. The rest goes to county governments, first responders and police.

Another revenue stream for state officials are the licensing application fees and regulatory assessments. From Dec. 15, 2017, to present, businesses seeking medical marijuana licenses and those that have received licenses have paid the state $11.9 million, according to the Bureau of Marijuana Regulation.

That money is used to cover the administration’s cost of overseeing and enforcing the program, as well as to pay other state offices for their services -- like the attorney general and state police; substance use disorder treatment and prevention programs; field sobriety test expenses and administrative costs of the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards.

Separately, the state has been making money off of the application fees for medical marijuana patients and for background checks for caregivers. In fiscal 2018, the state brought in nearly $7 million more in fee revenue than it needed to oversee the program, and gave $2.4 million of it to county sheriff’s offices as grants. Regulatory officials are now proposing to reduce the medical marijuana card application fees and cut the background check fee for caregivers.

Provisioning centers with medical marijuana licenses -- as well as those applying for a license -- should be applying sales tax and paying it to the state, Campbell said. Licensed provisioning centers are also subject to federal income taxes, state corporate income tax and the soon-to-expire three percent excise tax.
Patients buying marijuana from medical caregivers should also be paying sales tax. Campbell doubts that will be enforced.

“I just question, how do they plan on enforcing patients paying taxes on marijuana purchases from their caregiver?” Campbell said. “After eight years of growing 72 plants, a lot of caregivers got very, very good at growing good and robust plants that were high-yielding…Overages were just natural. Now they’re cut off from the wholesale market. Academically, they’re only supposed to sell to their five patients, but who knows what’s going to happen with all that excess.”

 

[momofthegoons]

BUYERS BEWARE...... I have another alert for Michigan patients. Unfortunately Platinum Vape Michigan's page on IG is private so you can't see the actual announcement. They have issued a statement that there are fake cartridges being sold under their name at the dispensaries. But I've downloaded the post and it's as follows: