Law Michigan MMJ

[Baron23]

Sigh..... @Baron23 you're gonna love this one... While not a news article it does shed some light on what is going on behind the scenes.

CRONYISM, MICHIGAN POLITICS, OPINION, REPUBLICANS
Gary Glenn Turns Back On Decentralization, Targets Medical Marijuana Industry Approved By Voters


by shane Trejo • September 15, 2017

Rep. Gary Glenn (R-Midland) was seen as one of the shining stars of the tea party movement, and was finally elected to public office after several attempts back in 2012. We all had high hopes for him, but as he ascended into a leadership position, he immediately wilted like so many others.

This becomes incredibly obvious when examining the text of HB4965, a bill designed to punish cities that choose to allow medical marijuana dispensaries. It would cut them off from state funds if their town votes to permit dispensaries within city limits. This is a sinister way to rob localities of their sovereignty as well as an anti-free market measure to punish a growing industry creating more jobs in a state that desperately needs them.

It reads as follows:

THE STATE TREASURER SHALL WITHHOLD ALL OR ANY PART OF ANY PAYMENT THAT A CITY, VILLAGE, TOWNSHIP, OR COUNTY IS ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE UNDER THIS ACT IF THE CITY, VILLAGE, TOWNSHIP, OR COUNTY ADOPTS A MEDICAL MARIHUANA ORDINANCE.


Perhaps Glenn is so old and out of touch that he still believes in reefer madness propaganda, but that is unlikely. Glenn is a learned man who has even indicated some tepid support for medical marijuana in the past. This is a clear case of a sell-out politician desperate to kiss up to Attorney General Bill Schuette, the scum-sucking stooge who targeted small farmers and medical marijuana patients during his disgraceful term as Dick Snyder’s top henchman.

Glenn also introduced a bill during the previous legislative session that would effectively criminalize protests against the political class. This bill was filed convienently after Schuette was besmirched after protesters lined up outside of his mansion to protest his awful policies. While I was willing to give Glenn the benefit of the doubt after this shameful maneuever, it is clear that his ambitions have taken precedence over his principles. He has become another victim of the swamp.

And call me crazy, but I see HB4965 moving much more quickly through the legislature than HB4192.

HB4192 is the active bill introduced by Glenn that was written to remove the state of Michigan from the Common Core educational standards. It was developed by grassroots leaders using the best language recommended by national experts that would fully terminate Common Core in the state and allow Lansing bureaucrats NO WIGGLE ROOM to re-implement the standards, which has happened in many other states such as Indiana, Tennessee and West Virginia.

Glenn introduced that bill earlier this year, and it was scheduled to the Michigan Competitiveness Committee. This committee, initially chaired by House Pro Tem Rep. Lee Chatfield, seemed to be a good landing spot for the bill but it has stalled completely. After multiple committee hearings, there has been no movement. Right now, shady legislators are working under the cloak of darkness on a ‘compromise’ bill that would allow aspects of Common Core to remain in place.

For those of you who put your trust in Gary Glenn, please understand that you have been deceived. Few men have what it takes to stand strong in the midst of the unbelievable corruption within our politics. Glenn is clearly not among them, but his lack of spine may land him that next role as he progresses up the latter amassing power. A man who dreams of being a political figure for many decades usually turns out to be a snake. Glenn is no exception.

Where in the world do you find these fuckers. Look at him...him and Sessions even look like Gestapo Nazi bastards. Wow.

 

[Baron23]

Warning Issued to Existing Businesses in Pre-Meeting Press Release from LARA

by Rick Thompson/September 14, 2017

LANSING- The Licensing Board for the Medical Marihuana Facilities Licensing Act (MMFLA) met for the third time on September 12. The much-anticipated Board meeting followed a highly controversial meeting one month prior where the discussion about a shutdown of all cannabis-related businesses across the state was hotly debated and discussed.

During the September 12 meeting the Director of the Bureau of Medical Marihuana Regulation, Andrew Brisbo, told the crowd that the BMMR is not ordering a shutdown of the facilities but is instead issuing an advisory to all potential applicants for MMFLA businesses.

The MMFLA will license cultivation, processing, testing, transport and distribution operation for Michigan’s Medical Marihuana Program (MMP), which services over 262,000 registered patients. Those industries currently exist in the state as unregistered entities.

The Brisbo warning was issued to those unregistered current entities which may want to gain state licensure under the MMFLA program. The BMMR and their parent Department, Michigan’s Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), will begin accepting applications for the MMFLA program on December 15th.

That is also the date cited by Brisbo: any applicant who currently operates a business in one of the five categories must abandon that business by December 15 or their ability to secure a state-issued license will be “significantly impacted.”

Although this stipulation was labeled as overly harsh by the majority of Michigan citizens testifying during the public comment portion of the meeting, at least one man was angry that the regulation did not go into effect earlier and that the Brisbo statement was not more definitive in it’s declaration of discrimination.

Former Michigan State Police sergeant Don Bailey, a Board member, had originally proposed the statewide shutdown at a previous Board meeting. Based on discussions at the August meeting and the agenda for the September 12th meeting, the issue appeared to be ready for renewed discussion and a Board vote.

LARA and the BMMR preempted that vote and almost completely eliminated the Board debate on the subject by issuing a press release just hours prior to the September 12th meeting. That press release declared the December 15th date and established the danger to businesses of continuing operation after then as a “significant impediment” to gaining a license.

Bailey had argued previously in favor of a September 15th date for a total statewide mandated shutdown, and that failure to comply would absolutely result in a loss of applicant status. Director Brisbo said his department had consulted with the Attorney General’s office and this was the decision they had arrived at. Bailey’s weak objections were given little attention and made no change to the policy outlined in the press release.

Many attendees had significant comments regarding the December 15th date, the length of time many patients would be without medicinal cannabis, and what they described as an inhumane attitude toward the continuing needs of the state’s most ill and injured.

The full video of the September 12th meeting can be seen at:

MMFLA Licensing Board September 12th Meeting Video

So, can't these shitheads read a calandar....let me see, issue licenses by 15 Dec, close all existing licenses by 15 Dec....think there will be a gap, huh! Duh.

Like I said, I want to see Eye at 11 New with clips of kids having seizures because they can't get their meds, MS and Parkinson patients spas'ing out due to no meds, cancer chemo patients retching, etc etc etc. Show these assholes the real life consequences of there arrogant and undemocratic actions.

God I hate politicians.

 

[momofthegoons]

LARA Releases Advisory Bulletin Regarding Co-Location of Medical Marihuana Facilities



September 21, 2017 – The State of Michigan’s Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) released an advisory bulletin today to inform and advise prospective medical marihuana licensees regarding co-location of medical marihuana facilities. The bulletin is for advisory purposes only and is subject to change.

The Bureau of Medical Marihuana Regulation intends to allow for co-location in a single facility; a potential licensee may apply for – and be granted – the following licenses:

• Grower
• Processor
• Provisioning Center

It is the intention of LARA that multiple licenses will be allowed to co-locate in the same facility if the following conditions are met:

• For each license assigned to the same location, the facility must have separate working areas, separate entrances and exits, separate point of sale operations (if applicable), and separate record keeping systems. Each entity’s license must be posted on the wall in its distinct working area.
• The municipality in which the facility is located must not have passed local ordinance or zoning regulations limiting the operation of co-located licenses.
• The licensee is compliant with all local and state regulations regarding building inspection, fire safety, and public health standards.
• The Department has specifically authorized the licensees to operate at the same location.

When deciding whether to pursue co-location of licenses, potential licensees should take into consideration that there may be additional inspections and/or permits required for co-located licenses. Also, each grower, processor, and provisioning center will require its own separate application, regulatory assessment, and license.

This bulletin does not constitute legal advice and is subject to change. It is intended to be advisory only, in anticipation of the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs’ promulgation of emergency rules consistent with statutory requirements. Potential licensees are encouraged to seek legal counsel to ensure their licensure applications and operations comply with the Medical Marihuana Facilities Licensing Act and associated administrative rules.

More information on the BMMR can be found at the bureau’s website: www.michigan.gov/bmmr.

 

[momofthegoons]

Michigan lobbyist group pushes recreational marijuana legalization

Andrew Hiyama
Daily Staff Reporter
Sunday, September 24, 2017 - 12:20pm

Recreational marijuana is now closer than ever to becoming permitted by law in Michigan. A ballot petition being circulated by the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol is "well past" 250,000 signatures, according to the group's spokesman Josh Hovey. The state of Michigan requires 252,523 valid signatures for the initiative to make it onto the ballot in November 2018.

Hovey says the group's goal is to collect 350,000 signatures, to give themselves a cushion for invalid signatures — signatures that cannot be traced to a registered voter or signatures from a voter who has already signed — and they aim to have everything submitted to the state by Nov. 22.

If they are able to reach their goal, and the state validates at least 252,523 signatures, the initiative will then go to the legislature for a vote. If the bill fails in the legislature, it will then go on the ballot in Nov. 2018 for residents of Michigan to vote.

Though he isn't sure how it will fare in the legislature, state Rep. Yousef Rabhi, D-Ann Arbor, is optimistic about the proposal's chances if it goes to the ballot in 2018.

"I support the bill," Rabhi said. "In terms of whether or not it is viable, I think that you are seeing unprecedented support, frankly, for this bill statewide. I think that the petition drive is going really well. I think that people are ready for this."

The initiative allows people aged 21 and over to purchase and possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana or 15 grams of marijuana concentrate and grow up to 12 marijuana plants in their homes for personal use. If passed, municipalities would be permitted to ban marijuana retailers and businesses within their jurisdictions, and public consumption and driving under the influence of marijuana would be forbidden.

If the initiative makes it onto the ballot in 2018, Hovey feels confident it will pass. National support for recreational marijuana is at 61 percent, according to a CBS poll from April of this year, and Hovey says the numbers in Michigan are about the same. A Michigan Daily poll of 71 randomly selected students found that 72 percent of respondents would support such an initiative, with 13 percent opposed and 15 percent unsure. 96 percent of respondents said they supported medicinal marijuana, with 4 percent unsure.

Hovey said the group's primary motivations for pushing to legalize recreational marijuana are the ineffectiveness of the current marijuana laws and the resources wasted on enforcement of these laws.

"We firmly believe that, just like with alcohol, the prohibition of marijuana has been a massive failure," he said. "One, it hasn't stopped people from using. Two, it unnecessarily is a waste of law enforcement resources and it puts tens of thousands of people into the criminal justice system every year for using what is essentially a plant that has been found to be less harmful than tobacco, less harmful than alcohol."

Fifty-nine percent of respondents to the Daily's survey said they had used marijuana for recreational purposes at least once in the past. The same percentage –– though not necessarily the same respondents –– said the legalization of recreational marijuana would not increase their likelihood of using. Thirty-one percent said it would, and 10 percent said they were unsure.

LSA senior Enrique Zalamea, president of the University’s chapter of College Republicans, said he supported the legalization of recreational marijuana both for ideological and practical reasons.

"My main reason, coming from a conservative background, in supporting recreational use is mainly because I don't believe that the government should tell individuals what they can and can't do in certain regards, especially if this is a plant that has been used for medical purposes," Zalamea said. "There's not very much scientific background that it does cause heart attacks or cause all of the different medical complications that people make it out to."

Additionally, he said, the state could save a substantial amount of money if it did not have to enforce the current prohibition on recreational marijuana.

"There's such a huge cost that's incurred when you try and police marijuana and enforce the illegal aspect of marijuana. We could use the kind of money that states spend on enforcing small amounts of marijuana to keep real criminals in prison, for infrastructure, for education."

And funding infrastructure and education is precisely what the proposal would do. In addition to the state's 6 percent sales tax, there would be a 10 percent excise tax levied on the sale of marijuana. Thirty percent of the revenue from that tax would go to counties and municipalities with marijuana retailers, 35 percent would go to the state's school aid fund for K-12 education, and 35 percent would go to the state's transportation fund, which funds repairs of roads and bridges.

Though passage of the law would be a radical change for most of the state, marijuana possession has been decriminalized in Ann Arbor since 1972. Public Policy senior Rowan Conybeare, chair of the University's chapter of College Democrats, said she thinks the disparity between Ann Arbor and the rest of the state, and the discriminatory enforcement of the law, is unfair.

"It's a low-level drug. It's decriminalized in Ann Arbor –– you get a $25 fine and that's it," Conybeare said. "And it's crazy that in other places people are getting arrested and incarcerated. I think it's also important to look at the racial disparities. We're destabilizing these people's lives for a low-level crime when other people are just getting off with it."

Rabhi agreed, adding the illegality of marijuana pushes people to use it in less-than-safe conditions.

"People use marijuana now. The prohibition on pot is not working in the way that people are thinking it's working," Rabhi said. "What it's doing is pushing people into the shadows who are going to be using marijuana anyway, which can lead to unsafe conditions for marijuana usage. By bringing it out of the shadows, we can make sure that people are using safe quantities, that what they are using is as pure as possible and as low of a health risk as possible."

Though the ballot initiative appears to be on the brink of success, at least in terms of clearing the bar of required signatures, it isn't without opposition. Keep Pot Out of Neighborhoods and Schools is a coalition that emerged to oppose the initiative. Gary Gordon, an attorney for the group, did not respond to requests for comment. At a May meeting of the Board of State Canvassers reported by the Detroit News, however —where the wording of the initiative was approved by the board — Gordon spoke in opposition to the bill's provision allowing homegrown marijuana.

“They don’t have to be licensed and they are not taxed,” he said. “There’s not regulation at all on that.”

According to a press release from the group, they are “committed to making certain every citizen, especially our kids, are protected from the unregulated proliferation of pot being made available across Michigan.”

“If this flawed effort passes as proposed there will be no stopping pot from infiltrating all aspects of our society, including schools, neighborhoods and places of work," the release read.

Chris DeWitt, spokesman for the group, declined to comment.

 

[Baron23]

Big money will be made when Michigan’s medical marijuana industry goes legit — but who will make it?

I've been making money off marijuana these past several years by writing about the stuff. The bottom line in the media is, whether you are for or against it, anytime you bring up marijuana you are making money off of it. The folks at Project SAM (Smart Approaches to Marijuana) — pretty much an anti-marijuana organization — are making money off people's fear of marijuana.

There's lots of money on both sides of the issue. Law enforcement agencies make plenty of money off of marijuana through federal grants and asset forfeiture — taking stuff from people they accuse of crimes. From Feb. 1 to Dec. 31, 2016, Michigan State Police report seizing $15.2 million in cash and property. Out of the 5,290 reported forfeiture cases, 4,955 of them were for controlled substances.

Lobbyists in Lansing are getting paid, too.

It seems like people give up the cash for marijuana. Despite its illegal status and perilous underground distribution system, Americans spent tens of billions of dollars on it each year in the early 2000s, before the modern wave of legalization.

In Michigan, dispensaries have been getting most of the attention in the battle over who will make the money in the state's new medical marijuana distribution system. Communities are fighting over whether to allow them, and if so, how many. The Michigan retail marijuana market — particularly if recreational use passes — is projected to be huge. But it's already big enough to have forced the hand of state legislators who were very reluctant to see any kind of legal distribution system.

"The retail market is the single largest revenue gatherer in the cannabis industry," says Rick Thompson founder of Michigan Cannabis Business Development Conferences, which conducts business conferences across the state. "No other business represents the potential income like retails."

In addition to retail, the marijuana market is vast — reaching into medical care, law, real estate, building, cuisine, communications, politics, etc. But it all is driven by the patients who walk in the door and put their money down.

How that happens will be known when the Medical Marihuana Licensing Board rolls out its rules Dec. 15. This is when we get to see how the money is going to be made. The Medical Marihuana Facilities Licensing Act sets up five different classes of business: grower, processor, safety compliance facility, secure transporter, and provisioning center. Each requires a different state license.

Provisioning centers (dispensaries) are what we have been seeing and what Detroiters have been fighting about — and what hasn't been allowed in Oakland County. But all these other categories are mostly new in the public eye.

The law sets up three different classes of growers. That seems pretty straightforward. Class A allows up to 500 plants, Class B 1,000 plants, and Class C 1,500 plants. Those numbers seem pretty modest in the face of claims of Big Marijuana coming to town. It looks like mom and pop shops in a cottage industry. But the new rules could go in another direction, particularly if a practice known as "stacking" is allowed. Stacking is a practice wherein one entity could hold a number of licenses. One grower or investment group could potentially hold licenses to grow any number of plants — 10,000, 20,000 — who knows. One company could hold licenses for a chain of storefronts.

"The idea was received well by Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, so I expect they will allow stacking to some degree," says Thompson, who is a board member for Michigan NORML.

The importance of that will depend on how many licenses the state is handing out and how many licenses one entity can have.

One seemingly sensible rule came out last week when the state Licensing and Regulatory Affairs office announced that so-called "all in one" facilities will be allowed where growing, processing, and sales can take place in the same building. Although it seems like a sane policy, it gets a little weird with having separate entrances for different licenses and you still have to provide secure transport from the part of the building that houses the growing to the part of the building that houses the processing.

There is some fear around the rules and licensing procedure among owners of existing dispensaries. Will those owners be penalized for running what many define as an illegal enterprise? Will they be cut out of the opportunity when licenses are handed out? At the very least it looks like places that are now open probably need to shut down by Dec. 1. This gives patients some planning time if they need to stock up on supplies or get a caregiver to tide them over until the marijuana system is up and running — although some places have already closed their doors in an effort to curry favor with LARA.

And then there are the folks who already know what the rules of their businesses are, they just need the new regulations to be set so that the wheels can start turning at the core of the marijuana industry.

There are the businesses that support the industry, such as real estate. Anybody with a big, empty warehouse might be thinking of renting to a marijuana grower. Of course that leads to work for electrical contractors and carpenters. Then you got the legal profession (which has been making money because of marijuana forever), the public relations companies, and I'm even hearing about insurance companies and bankers developing products to help get around federal rules. Oh, and there are security systems and building design. It's endless. I know somebody in Colorado who is leading newcomers to marijuana in various personal discovery events.

"All of the secondary businesses, those folks are eager, they are excited, they have their money ready," says Thompson. "Those folks don't need administrative rules from LARA to know how they can play."

Some are folks who see a new opportunity in an industry that didn't previously exist. Most of them will not get rich quick, but like any other industry a lot of people will be able to make a living (and some a good living) working within the economic halo of marijuana.

The age old baggie or brown envelope or film canister will have to be dressed up into fancier packaging with labels detailing the contents. That will be particularly important when it comes to edibles, salves, ointments, and other products made with marijuana extracts.

In the seemingly endless expanse of the marijuana halo, law enforcement won't have to end its war. They'll just have to gird themselves for the fight against the illegal marijuana that is sure to be around once the system of legal marijuana is set up. There's got to be some money in that.

 

[Baron23]

@momofthegoons - true, not true? Are dispensaries now safe come 15 Dec?
Michigan pushes to protect medical marijuana dispensaries
Despite attempts to shut them down, Michigan medical marijuana dispensaries are safe. For now, anyway. In light of recent legislation regarding cannabis dispensaries in the state, lawyers are stepping in and stepping up to protect not only the businesses but the patients and caregivers who rely on them. And it’s not only lawyers who have their backs. State senators are also getting involved in the fight.

Medical Marijuana in Michigan
In 2008, Michigan residents voted to establish a medical marijuana program in their home state. Ever since this approval, a huge amount of cannabis-loving business owners and social activists have been opening up dispensaries. While these shops are practically everywhere in the state, locals have reported that a substantial percentage of Michigan medical marijuana dispensaries are located in the Greater Detroit Area. Particularly on Gratiot Avenue and the notorious 8 Mile Road.

There’s a high concentration of medical marijuana dispensaries in Detroit and in the entire state. Because of this, the government of Michigan deemed it necessary to intervene. Last year, they introduced new legislation regarding dispensaries. To combat the growing number of dispensaries, the state government ruled that all dispensaries needed to have a proper license.

That sounds fairly standard. But there’s a catch: the licensing board will not accept any applications for these licenses until after December 15th of this year. And there’s no guaranteed timeline for approval.

To make the situation even more precarious, the state’s licensing board, known as LARA, has recently released a statement saying that any dispensaries still operating sans license past December 15th will face issues. Specifically, an “impediment” to obtain a license.

Essentially, the state licensing board is aiming to shut down Michigan medical marijuana facilities because of technicalities.

At the very least, they aim to disrupt the business practices of dispensary owners. But this kind of legislation doesn’t only affect business owners. It negatively impacts the patients who depend on medical cannabis.

The Law
Thankfully, there are lawyers who are working to prevent this. One of the attorneys on the case, Jeff Schroeder, assured the public that the state licensing board was not a law enforcement agency. Therefore, the board cannot act as a law enforcement agency.

To further put patients’ minds at ease, two state senators publicly showed their support. Senators Yousef Rabhi and David Knezek announced legislation that would protect medical marijuana dispensaries from the so-called “impediments” that the licensing board has threatened.

Final Hit: Protection for Michigan medical marijuana dispenaries
The situation in Michigan is a sticky one. According to concerned politicians and government bodies, there are too many medical marijuana dispensaries in the state. Although they are trying their best to combat this “issue,” it looks like the law might not be on their side. Thanks to activists, advocates and attorneys working diligently, Michigan medical marijuana dispensaries are safe. As of now, the state licensing board cannot threaten them with the proposed “impediments” to shut down their businesses while trying to get approved for a license. And so, for the meantime at least, the state’s medical cannabis patients can rest easy. They will still have access to their medicine after December 15th.

 

[momofthegoons]

true, not true? Are dispensaries now safe come 15 Dec?

I haven't heard that they are 'safe' but have heard that measures are being taken to try to stop them from closing.

I don't know if anything definitive has happened yet. There's been nothing from NORML by email. Which I would think there would be. I'll contact my caregiver today and see what he knows. He's an executive director over at NORML for Washtenaw County. He'll know. Might take a day or so to find out though...they're in the middle of a fund raiser/petition drive.

Edit to add: Just as I thought. They only introduced the bill to keep them open yesterday. It's too early to know if this is a go or not. And this is from someone on the cutting edge of the legalization movement.

 

[momofthegoons]

More MMFLA Information on Stacking Licenses Released
By admin On September 28, 2017September 28, 2017 In News

by Rick Thompson/September 28, 2017

LANSING- In a press release today the Bureau of Medical Marihuana Regulation (BMMR) announced they will allow cannabis superfarms to be constructed in Michigan by allowing an entity to receive multiple 1,500-plant growing licenses, and that those plants can be aggregated together in a single growing environment.

The MMFLA is Michigan’s new medicinal cannabis regulatory program. The rules are being crafted now and the program will begin accepting applications for licenses in five different business categories on December 15th, with cultivation and distribution expected to begin in 2018.

Within the MMFLA are three categories of growers- Class A (500 plants), Class B (1,000 plants) and Class C (1,500 plants). The press release from the BMMR states, “A potential licensee may apply for and be granted multiple (“stacked”) class C grow licenses— each authorizing the grower to grow up to 1,500 marihuana plants—in a single location.”


The release adds a further clarification: “A licensee with stacked licenses is not required to operate each license in a separate, distinct working area.” This clears the way for 3,000 plant, 4,500 plant, 6,000 plant grow operations in Michigan on a single parcel of land- superfarms- and perhaps, even larger.

The release further defines this stacking option, including conditions of application and fee structure.

On September 21 the BMMR issued a statement authorizing a type of vertical integration of licenses where a single applicant, on a single parcel, could own and operate a cultivation center, a processing facility and a distribution center.

Read the full press release on stacking of Class C licenses HERE.

Read the vertical integration press release HERE.

 

[momofthegoons]

Medical Marijuana Business License Pricing Released by LARA Today
By admin On September 29, 2017September 29, 2017 In News

by Rick Thompson/September 29, 2017

LANSING- The picture is slowly becoming clearer as to how people will be able to apply for medical marijuana business licenses in Michigan’s new program, and how much it will cost.

Ina press release issued today, September 29, The Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs and their subdivision, the Bureau of Medical Marihuana Regulation, issued a press release outlining details of the new licensing program and a fee schedule for certain license types.

Application fees cover the cost of administration in processing paperwork, and are estimated based on the number of application received. The chart of fees applying to all applicants, which could change over time, is reproduced here:

# of Applicants - Fee


500 - $8,000


1,000 - $6,000

1,500 - $5,000


2,000 - $4,500

Other fees apply to specific types of licenses: cultivation, distribution, processing, transport and testing.

Application fees for all levels of cultivation licenses and secure transporter fees are included in a second chart from LARA.

A Class A cultivation licensee will pay a $10,000 application fee, unless the state receives more than 1,800 applications for this license, in which case the fee will drop to $9,000.

A Class B (1,000 plant) or Class C (1,500 plant) cultivation license applicant pays the same as a secure transporter, a processor or a provisioning center. If there are 300 or less applicants the fee will be $57,000 per application; if 301-600 applications are received the fee will be $28,000; if 601-1200 application are received the fee drops to $14,000; and if 1,201-1,800 applications are received the fee drops to $9,000.

Safety Compliance Facilities, also known as testing laboratories, pay no application fee under the new LARA information.

The new FAQ contains much more information regarding the process, and even includes many questions for which no answer yet exists. Read the entire document at the LARA website HERE.

 

[momofthegoons]

I received this email from Michigan NORML last night. It's a bit easier to understand (and has links to the LARA advisory) so I've posted it rather than the LARA statement.



by Rick Thompson/October 5, 2017

LANSING- An advisory issued today by Michigan's Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) provides additional guidance toward businesses in or hoping to become part of Michigan's medical marijuana business economy. The advisory provides a brief set of rules regarding the testing of cannabis products, and when in the supply chain those tests are to be performed.

Currently in Michigan commercially-sold cannabis is typically tested when it is ready to leave the place where it was grown; if that cannabis is used to create products like foodstuffs, topical ointments or concentrated medicines those products are tested prior to distribution to patients.

The LARA memo embraces this pattern of testing and will require it in Michigan's new cannabis economy, created by the passage of the Medical Marihuana Facilities Licensing Act (MMFLA) in 2016. The rules for the MMFLA are being crafted now; this memo is just one of several issued recently which have provided guidance to potential applicants for licenses in the new state-regulated business environment.

Michigan's current medical marijuana market is unregulated at the state level and there are no requirements for testing of products, although many businesses and caregivers choose to use testing even without a legal requirement. Under the new MMFLA program all cannabis grown, processed and sold by licensees must be tested at these stated times.

The memo from LARA reminds growers and distributors that they are able to test their cannabis at safety compliance facilities as desired, in addition to the specified times. Caregivers, who are not required to test cannabis under the original MMMA program or the new MMFLA system, are also able to submit samples for testing.

From the memo:

Licensed safety compliance facilities will record the results in the statewide monitoring system. Once the results are entered, the grower or the processor that provided the sample will be able to view the results in the statewide monitoring system. Provisioning centers may only sell or transfer marihuana or marihuana-infused products to qualifying registered patients or registered primary caregivers after it has been tested and the state label required for retail sale has been affixed.

The memo from LARA come at a time when they are discussing new rules for the MMFLA program in five different workgroups. Each workgroup corresponds to one of the five regulated businesses created by the MMFLA: cultivation, transportation, testing, processing and distribution. They have each met at least once, have approx. 17-20 members each and include one member of the MMFLA's Licensing Board.

The Board is a group of five appointed citizens who will make the decisions on all licenses issued under the MMFLA program. The group has met several times, each time centered in a cloud of controversy surrounding the behavior of two Board members, Don Bailey and Rick Johnson. The two have advocated for a full and total shutdown of all medical marijuana distribution facilities across the state, which has brought angry crowds to the meetings and caused media to examine the workings of the Board with intense scrutiny.

The Board is under the control of LARA and its subdivision, the Bureau of Medical Marihuana Regulation. LARA's Director, Shelly Edgerton, will address the industry at a conference in Ann Arbor on October 15 and will conduct a Q and A session with audience members. Also speaking at the Conference is Ann Arbor House Representative Yousef Rabhi, who introduced HB 5014, a bill to protect dispensaries who stay open during the transition time by issuing a provisional license while their application is being considered by the Licensing Board.

This meeting comes two days before the next Licensing Board meeting, where more controversy is expected to rise as outraged citizens may hold the Board accountable for recent raids of medical marijuana distribution centers across the state.

Bailey and Johnson's effort to shut down all medical marijuana distribution centers was cut off last month by a LARA memo which dictated no hard shutdown date and a "potential" impediment to an applicant's status if they operate after December 15. After that defeat of the Board's effort, law enforcement has seemingly ramped up civil and criminal attacks on existing dispensaries, including some which have been open for several years without incident.

Cities like Atlanta and Traverse City have seen a sudden and surprising effort by state police and other agencies to shutter their dispensaries. Patients who need access to their specialty medicines, available only through the existing dispensary system, have made their needs known to the Board, and they will undoubtedly bring those concerns to the next Board meeting.

Other recent updates from LARA on the MMFLA rollout can be found HERE.

Recent Articles of Reference:
LARA and state license pricing
HB 5014 explained
Rules on stacking of licenses
Workgroup members
State fees for licenses explained

 

[Shredder]

There are lots of power plays going on in MI right now. Including the author of the normal articles. He is a player trying to position himself, as are the cops on the state appointed boards.

Our current dispensaries are technically illegal. Some stay open at the discretion of the local prosecutor.

And now our policing for profit leo, is raiding a to confinscate whatever they can, while they can. Legal dispensaries, and legalization will hurt their bottom line.

Big money is looking to take over the legal scene. And a lot of money is being passed out to policticos to pave their way.

And sadly no one is looking out for sick and disabiled patients.

 

[momofthegoons]

Petition blocks marijuana ordinance, application submissions

LANSING -- A group called Let Lansing Vote filed petitions Friday afternoon seeking a referendum on the city's a new medical marijuana ordinance.

The ordinance for commercial properties was approved by City Council last month and was supposed to go into effect on Saturday. If the group turned in enough signatures, either the council must repeal the ordinance or send it to city voters, which would not happen until 2018.

City Clerk Chris Swope has 15 calendar days to review the petitions and determine if the signatures and forms are "valid and proper."

The group needs at least 4,600 valid signatures, Swope said.

If Swope finds the signatures and group's petitions valid, then City Council has 30 days to repeal the ordinance or submit it to city voters.

"Lansing citizens and activists spoke out against the ordinance the day it was passed, and the City Council didn't listen," said Sarah Galey, a spokesperson for the group. "We think the citizens of Lansing deserve a vote on this issue."

Swope said the referendum attempt also stops the city's plan to begin accepting applications on Monday for licenses to operate certain commercial marijuana establishments.

"Right now, until we finish the review, we are not doing anything," Swope said.

The city's medical marijuana ordinance that council approved on Sept. 7 sets up licensing for five types of marijuana businesses:

• provisioning centers (also known as dispensaries)
• safety compliance facilities
• processor facilities
• secure transporter facilities
• grower facilities

For all marijuana establishments to operating in the city, officials will require licenses from both the city and state.

The state Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) emphasized in a statement sent Wednesday to the Lansing State Journal that compliance with local ordinances is necessary for state licensure of a medical marijuana establishment, but doesn't guarantee state approval.

"Proactive policies by local municipalities should help businesses make their preparatory plans for the state licensing process, which begins December 15," said David Harns, a LARA spokesman.

Lansing's ordinance approved by council aims to cap provisioning centers at 25, but does not set limits on the number of other types of facilities.

RELATED:

Lansing passes marijuana ordinance

Marijuana ordinance applications are available

One-stop marijuana shopping? State is OK with it

Marijuana industry, neighbors divided on new ordnance

 

[Mr Mellish]

Petition blocks marijuana ordinance, application submissions

LANSING -- A group called Let Lansing Vote filed petitions Friday afternoon seeking a referendum on the city's a new medical marijuana ordinance.

The ordinance for commercial properties was approved by City Council last month and was supposed to go into effect on Saturday. If the group turned in enough signatures, either the council must repeal the ordinance or send it to city voters, which would not happen until 2018.

City Clerk Chris Swope has 15 calendar days to review the petitions and determine if the signatures and forms are "valid and proper."

The group needs at least 4,600 valid signatures, Swope said.

If Swope finds the signatures and group's petitions valid, then City Council has 30 days to repeal the ordinance or submit it to city voters.

"Lansing citizens and activists spoke out against the ordinance the day it was passed, and the City Council didn't listen," said Sarah Galey, a spokesperson for the group. "We think the citizens of Lansing deserve a vote on this issue."

Swope said the referendum attempt also stops the city's plan to begin accepting applications on Monday for licenses to operate certain commercial marijuana establishments.

"Right now, until we finish the review, we are not doing anything," Swope said.

The city's medical marijuana ordinance that council approved on Sept. 7 sets up licensing for five types of marijuana businesses:

• provisioning centers (also known as dispensaries)
• safety compliance facilities
• processor facilities
• secure transporter facilities
• grower facilities

For all marijuana establishments to operating in the city, officials will require licenses from both the city and state.

The state Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) emphasized in a statement sent Wednesday to the Lansing State Journal that compliance with local ordinances is necessary for state licensure of a medical marijuana establishment, but doesn't guarantee state approval.

"Proactive policies by local municipalities should help businesses make their preparatory plans for the state licensing process, which begins December 15," said David Harns, a LARA spokesman.

Lansing's ordinance approved by council aims to cap provisioning centers at 25, but does not set limits on the number of other types of facilities.

RELATED:

Lansing passes marijuana ordinance

Marijuana ordinance applications are available

One-stop marijuana shopping? State is OK with it

Marijuana industry, neighbors divided on new ordnance

I’m sorry, it’s likely my attention span but from this article I’m having a hard time parsing out who are the good guys, who are the bad guys and what the beef is. As I get older, I seem to lose the thread easier but I’m not finding it.

 

[momofthegoons]

I’m sorry, it’s likely my attention span but from this article I’m having a hard time parsing out who are the good guys, who are the bad guys and what the beef is. As I get older, I seem to lose the thread easier but I’m not finding it.

I agree that the article is really confusing; which is why I added the related articles. From what I can see, there is a group who is unhappy with the new ordinance. But what it is that they are unhappy about is unclear. I can't tell if they are unhappy that there will be mmj facilities in the area, or if they are unhappy that the dispensaries have been limited. Or if they are unhappy about the way the ordinance was voted in.

From what this article says it appears to be the case of wanting more dispensaries. Currently there are close to 80 active dispensaries in Lansing. The ordinance would take that number down to 25.

 

[Shredder]

I agree that the article is really confusing; which is why I added the related articles. From what I can see, there is a group who is unhappy with the new ordinance. But what it is that they are unhappy about is unclear. I can't tell if they are unhappy that there will be mmj facilities in the area, or if they are unhappy that the dispensaries have been limited. Or if they are unhappy about the way the ordinance was voted in.

From what this article says it appears to be the case of wanting more dispensaries. Currently there are close to 80 active dispensaries in Lansing. The ordinance would take that number down to 25.

In the last revision of our mj law, the state will begin to take applications for dispensaries, growers and testing facitlites this December. To be elligable you must have in hand a local ordinance in favor of, a dispensary, a grow of 500,1000, or 1500 hundred plants, or I think for a testing facility. There are licenses for transporters too but I'm not sure if they need an ordinance or not.

So local govt can grant or not grant. Like my first post in this thread, this allows for big money to grease the skids, both locally and in Lansing. The polically connected will thrive, others not so much.

I fully expect a big failure once this kicks in, with herb no one can afford. Then next they will blame small time caregivers and growers for their plan not working and look to screw the small time growers that don't (or can't) buy their own politicians.

The back drop for all this is a legalization vote for november 2018. It looks to pass and is fairly liberal, and once again will make for the legislature to make new crazy ass rules, lol.

As a small time caregiver, I just keep my head down, my doors locked, and do what I do.

 

[Baron23]

Marijuana showdown expected tonight at City Hall

LANSING -- City Council is expected to consider tonight at City Hall new amendments to a medical marijuana ordinance that's been on the books for six years.

Two council members and Mayor Virg Bernero said in a news release today the amendments are needed to "align city policies with the new state law."

“The old ordinance is way out of synch with current state law because so much has changed over the past six years,” Bernero said in statement. “We must have effective regulation of this industry in Lansing, which means the old ordinance needs to be brought up to date by the City Council as soon as possible.”

Council passed a marijuana ordinance last month that was supposed to go into effect Saturday. It was put on hold because a group called Let Lansing Vote filed petitions seeking a referendum.

At the time the 2011 ordinance was written, the state's medical marijuana statute did not address the issue of businesses selling medical marijuana. Instead, it allowed for patients and caregivers to register with the state and grow fixed numbers of plants.

When provisioning centers began popping up in Lansing, City Council passed the 2011 ordinance to regulate them, but Attorney General Bill Schuette said dispensaries were not legal under state law so the city had never enforced the 2011 ordinance.

Until state officials created a new statute to govern commercial marijuana businesses late last year, there was no legal status for such businesses although some cities such as Lansing have generally allowed them. Council spent more than a year working on the 2017 medical marijuana ordinance that was blocked by the petition drive.

Council is expected to discuss marijuana regulations and the 2011 ordinance at the today's 5:30 p.m. Committee of the Whole meeting on the 10th floor of City Hall. It will be open to the public. Council's general meeting is scheduled to follow at 7 p.m.

The Let Lansing Vote group submitted about 6,400 signatures on Friday to City Clerk Chris Swope's office and needs at least 4,600 valid signatures. Those signatures blocked the city's newest medical marijuana ordinance, which was to have gone into effect on Saturday.

RELATED:

Petition blocks marijuana ordinance

Lansing passes marijuana ordinance

One-stop marijuana shopping? State is OK with it

As of today, Swope has 13 calendar days to review signatures and petitions to determine if the signatures and forms are "valid and proper."

At-Large Council Member Carol Wood questioned this morning why council should make amendments to a 2011 ordinance while it's waiting on Swope's office to determine if a referendum attempt of an ordnance passed last month can move forward.

“You have so much of this that seems to be done in the dark of night," Wood said of proposed amendments to the 2011 ordinance.

If Swope finds the signatures and group's petitions valid, then council has 30 days to repeal the ordinance council approved on Sept. 7 or submit it to city voters.

Council President Patricia Spitzley and At-Large Council Member Judi Brown Clarke also support amendments for the city's 2011 ordinance.

Clarke is running for mayor this fall against State Rep. Andy Schor, D-Lansing.

“I believe most Lansing residents support having a well-regulated medical marijuana industry with clear rules and regulations that protect neighborhoods and public safety, allow patients to continue to access their medicine, and permit people who are creating jobs and making significant investments in Lansing to move forward with their plans,” Clarke said in a statement. “These are the goals and principles guiding the ordinance amendments I will introduce this evening.”

Let Lansing Vote's referendum attempt stops the city's plan to begin accepting applications for licenses to operate certain commercial marijuana establishments.

Before the group submitted signatures, the Swope's office had planned to accept applications beginning today.

The city's medical marijuana ordinance that council approved on Sept. 7 sets up licensing for five types of marijuana businesses:

• provisioning centers (also known as dispensaries)
• safety compliance facilities
• processor facilities
• secure transporter facilities
• grower facilities

For all marijuana establishments to operating in the city, officials will require licenses from both the city and state.

First Ward Council Member Jody Washington said this morning she is frustrated with the city's efforts to regulate medical marijuana and multiple ordinances officials have voted on and reviewed.

"I swear one would think the only thing we had going on in this city is pot," Washington wrote. "Trust me, there are many more serious issues than pot that are not being dealt with."

Lansing's ordinance approved by council last month aims to cap provisioning centers at 25, but does not set limits on the number of other types of facilities.

The city isn't expected to grant people licenses until state officials have their own licensing structure in place. The state Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) is expected to have applications for licenses available on its website Dec. 15.

Follow lsj.com for updates from tonight's meeting. Below is a look at the 2011 ordinance and proposed amendments from Bernero, Spitzley and Clarke.

 

[Baron23]

Michigan: Niles rolls out proposed medical marijuana rules

Submitted by Marijuana News on Thu, 10/12/2017 - 08:45

Rules for medical marijuana businesses in Niles could possibly scuttle the proposal for a dispensary at the historic former post office downtown.

That and other details emerged Monday night as city council members got their first look at two proposed ordinances.

One spells out state and local rules for the types of medical marijuana businesses and how they can operate. The other one details local zoning rules for such businesses.

City officials have been drafting the rules since the council decided earlier this year to opt in to Michigan’s new commercial structure for medical marijuana.

Any dispensary wanting to locate downtown could “run into some difficulties” because of state law, said Community Development Director Sanya Vitale, who presented the proposed ordinances to the council.

The law prohibits a marijuana facility within 1,000 feet of a school or library. The location of the Niles District Library at Main and Seventh streets “takes out a good swath of the downtown” for a potential provisioning center, or dispensary, she said.

A thousand feet is roughly the length of three football fields.

A large tobacco retailer offered last spring to purchase the old post office at Main and Fourth streets, with the idea of using it as a medical marijuana dispensary. The proposal has been in limbo pending the city’s adoption of medical marijuana ordinances, and also after a possible alternative use for the site was pitched by a housing developer.

Council member Tim Skalla asked if state law might change to shorten that thousand-foot distance.

Vitale said it’s a possibility, and if it does, the ordinance could be amended.

Proposed rules would also limit the number of dispensaries in the city to two.

Council member Daniel VandenHeede wondered how the city arrived at that figure.

Vitale said the city used Kalamazoo’s medical marijuana rules for guidance in drafting its own, and that the larger city had allowed for two dispensaries per 10,000 residents. Niles has a population of about 11,600, so officials decided to start with allowing two dispensaries.

The city wouldn’t cap the number of other types of medical marijuana businesses it would allow. The other types of businesses include growers, processors, secure transporters and safety compliance facilities.

All such businesses would be relegated to the industrial park, except for dispensaries, which could potentially locate in parts of the downtown or in the 11th Street commercial corridor, Vitale said.

One key part of the plan, though, said Vitale, is for the city to expand its industrial zone east of Eighth Street, north of Wayne Street and east to Terminal.

The industrial park is almost at capacity and the city wants to limit medical marijuana operations there to just two, she said. But there are “several available properties in that area outside the industrial park, including the Simplicity complex” if council approves more industrial land.

All requests for medical marijuana facility licenses would go through the special land use process with the planning commission, which includes notification of nearby neighbors and a public hearing, said Vitale.

Proposed rules also spell out application fees. State law allows municipalities to collect up to $5,000 in fees per application, said Vitale. The city would charge an initial, nonrefundable fee of $2,500 in order to grant a provisional license. If the state then issues a license, the applicant would pay the city up to another $2,500 to begin operations.

Operation rules detailed in the ordinance include plans for security, surveillance, ventilation, odor control, waste disposal, hazardous materials, and even electrical usage. Vitale noted the city is seeking to prohibit use of the word marijuana, or variations of it, in signage, as well as depictions of marijuana leaves or plants. One provision would prohibit the visibility of activity, so, for instance, paraphernalia or sales of medical marijuana couldn’t be visible through windows.

Council members were encouraged to pore over the proposed ordinances and make a list of questions or changes. Vitale said she hopes to have a revised draft before the council for a first reading at its next meeting Oct. 23.

 

[Baron23]

Michigan marijuana proposals head to the ballot
The latest fight over marijuana in Detroit hits the polls on Nov. 7. On an otherwise pretty spare ballot there will be two questions put to voters that arrived via petition initiatives run by a group called Citizens for Sensible Cannabis Reform.

Neither of the proposals, as they appear on the ballot, are particularly clear about what they enact. The first one is called "an initiative to enact a medical marihuana facilities ordinance." The second appears as "a proposal to amend the Detroit zoning ordinance, chapter 61 of the Detroit city code, consistent with the Medical Marihuana Facilities Licensing Act."


The first proposal does several things, but most significantly it cuts the distance a provisioning center can be from parks, day care centers, liquor stores, churches, and other provisioning centers from 1,000 feet, as currently required, to 500 feet, and allows them to stay open an hour later to 9 p.m.

CSCR had to take the city to court in order to put it on the ballot. The second proposal is for Detroit to opt in to the new state law, and it would allow growers and secure transporters (two of the categories allowed by state medical marihuana facilities law) to operate in Detroit's M1-5 industrial districts.

The general impact of these proposals is to pull back some of the regulations the city put on marijuana facilities. That 1,000-feet thing pretty much makes facilities be located far from anywhere that people actually go. There are other tweaks in there but that's the basic intention.

I've got literature from both sides of this issue delivered to my home. The supporters highlight the idea that this will help build the industry and bring money into the community. The opposition literature highlights the idea that marijuana stores would be allowed to be too close to schools, parks, and the like.

My personal opinion is that I want to allow the industry to develop and create opportunities for jobs in the city. And I think that once the state rules come out Dec. 15, there will be a whole lot more competition popping up in the suburbs. One of the reasons there were so many dispensaries in Detroit is that there were not any in Oakland County. Once that changes it will be a very different scene. I think that folks will choose to buy their marijuana nearby at Ye Olde Cannabis Shoppe with its incense and mellow ambience rather than hitting the traffic on Eight Mile Road.

The opposition, mostly focused through the Metropolitan Detroit Community Action Coalition, is fairly alarmist, though increasingly sophisticated. A recent communication from one of its members described the scenario of a growing facility with 2,000 plants in a nearby former school building and expressed concern for the effect that odors, chemicals, water, and drainage would have in the surrounding community.

I wouldn't frame those issues in a way that creates an obstacle for businesses but those are valid community concerns to be addressed. I used to live near a slaughterhouse and I've got to admit there were days the smell of dead meat just hung over the neighborhood. While I find the scent of maturing marijuana flowers refreshing I know that others really, really hate it. However, that doesn't mean there should be onerous and undue regulations on marijuana facilities that other kinds of businesses don't have to comply with.

Detroit voters will get to make the decision on this. You almost didn't get that chance. As happened with the initiative to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana by adults on private property in Detroit, petitioners had to go to court to get city clerk Janice Winfrey to put it on the ballot. Winfrey claimed that "a proposal to amend the Detroit zoning ordinance, chapter 61 of the Detroit city code..." was against state law. The county court said she was wrong. The same thing happened in the case of Proposal M that passed in 2012. Winfrey claimed that the proposal to decriminalize marijuana in Detroit was against state law and refused to put it on the ballot. Petitioners took her to court and eventually prevailed.

We'll soon see if Detroit voters make these proposals winners.

While we're talking votes let's note that the Committee to Regulate Marihuana Like Alcohol has passed the 300,000-signature mark and is headed down the home stretch of this phase of the legalization campaign. CRMLA has until Nov. 22 to turn in a little over 252,000 valid signatures to get recreational legalization on next year's gubernatorial ballot. The group's goal is to turn in some 352,000 signatures to overcome any that are invalidated.

Once the signatures are turned in the state legislature has three months to vote it into law. If not, it goes on next year's ballot — which led me to something of a pipe dream. What if the state legislature, petitions in hand, decides to go ahead and vote to legalize recreational marijuana? It happened in Vermont earlier this year.

What if the state legislature thought, we're rolling out this distribution system for medical marijuana, why not save the taxpayers some money and a lot of fighting on this and create a system for recreational marijuana while we are at it?

Well that would be nice, but I don't think so. Despite the example of Vermont, governments large and small are afraid of marijuana, influenced by drug war propaganda. As their arguments against marijuana have been countered with facts and citizen initiatives, their last tactic is to stall, to wait and see, to declare moratoriums until the evidence is in. That way if some terrible marijuana-related thing happens it won't be their fault.

Of course, the terrible marijuana-related things that are happening — destruction of lives, tearing apart families, murder — are happening because of the drug war that they support.

So, while things seem to be trending toward easing up on marijuana, this is still a movement fought at the ballot box. Vote.

Another positive note is that the commercial side of marijuana continues to march along. It may be just sheer economics that forces marijuana through the barriers. An Alternet headline recently stated, "Marijuana is now a driving engine of the American economy." The report claimed that legal marijuana has created over 149,000 full-time jobs — so it should be no surprise that folks are looking for their chance to create a business in Michigan.

There are two business-oriented events taking place nearby soon. One is "The Business of Cannabis: Everything You Need to Know from Industry Professionals," Thursday, Oct. 12 at the Reserve in Birmingham, organized by the law firm Howard & Howard. The other is the "MMFLA Application Primer and Participant Conference" on Sunday, Oct. 15 at the Kensington Hotel in Ann Arbor, organized by the Michigan Cannabis Business Development Group. The Cannabis Legal Group out of Royal Oak had a similar event at the Cobo Center in September.

It looks like the long money is on cannabis in this encounter.

 

[Baron23]

But Steve Linder, a Republican political consultant representing the Michigan Responsibility Council, which consists of successful entrepreneurs who want to get into the medical marijuana business, want the dispensaries shut down immediately.


"This gives a carve-out for people who knowingly are breaking the law," he said. "Everyone feels compassion for people who need access to medicine. But it's a patient’s responsibility to find themselves a caregiver."

This guy ^^, is a shithead is a fucking paid piranha for big money interests and doesn't give a shit about some kid with seizures.....perhaps he will have a movement disorder some day (if only karma is for real, he will get his).

Michigan officials prepare for influx of medical marijuana applications
Medical marijuana advocates gathered in Ann Arbor Sunday to learn about the regulations and taxes the business will face next year.

Officials are expecting a rush Dec. 15 when Michigan begins offering applications to people who want to start a medical marijuana business and be part of what is expected to be a $700-million-a-year industry in the state.

"We may have 50. We may have 1,500. We may have 5,000," Shelly Edgerton, director of the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, told an audience of nearly 200 people who showed up at an Ann Arbor hotel on a rainy Sunday afternoon to learn about getting into the lucrative medical marijuana business.

"But we've had close to 1,000 people who have signed up for our training. So we envision a large number of applicants on the first day."

The license applications for five categories of medical cannabis licenses — growers, processors, testers, transporters and dispensaries — will become available on Dec. 15 and the Michigan Medical Licensing Board is expected to begin awarding licenses in the first quarter of next year.

People attending the session wanted to know everything from how much it will cost them to get approval from local and state authorities for the license, to how the state will accept tax payments from an industry that has so far been shunned from traditional banks because marijuana still is considered an illegal drug by the federal government.

The answers from Edgerton, lawmakers and lobbyists for the medical marijuana industry are everything is still a work in process as the state has been rolling out the rules and regulations that will govern the medical marijuana industry.

One of the big concerns for the people attending the meeting will be the transition time between the beginning of the application process and the actual availability of medical marijuana, especially since the state has said that they want existing dispensaries to close during the licensing process. And it will take licensed growers about six months to produce a medical marijuana crop.

"We’re trying to bring this into a new regulatory market. We had to have some date to start and we view that day as Dec. 15," Edgerton said. "The Legislature didn’t provide for any transition. They didn’t recognize the problem, intentional or not."

The meeting comes on the heels of raids on eight medical marijuana dispensaries in northern Michigan by undercover narcotics police teams earlier this month who asked the Grand Traverse County Prosecutor's Office to send cease-and-desist letters to the shops operating in the county.

The undercover team, armed with medical marijuana cards, was able to purchase the cannabis at the eight shops — four in Traverse City and four in other parts of the county — even though they didn't have a registered caregiver listed at the dispensary.

"They were pretty much selling to anyone who walks in the door, which is illegal under current state law. They can only sell from caregiver to registered patient," said Grand Traverse County Prosecutor Bob Cooney.

Technically, that's illegal until Michigan begins licensing medical marijuana businesses next year. Traverse City's medical marijuana ordinance allows for dispensaries where caregivers can provide products to the patients they care for. Before the raid, seven dispensaries that went through a zoning and background check by the city were operating in Traverse City and three more are going through remodeling or renovation, said Dave Weston, the city's zoning administrator.

Cooney said he's not a big fan of the legalization of medical marijuana, but welcomes the new rules and regulations that are on the way.

"The Legislature, over the past five years, has flip flopped back and forth," he said. "So we're constantly trying to figure out what the state is going to do. It’s been very confusing for law enforcement."

Before the new regulations were passed last year, the 218,556 medical marijuana card holders were supposed to rely on the 38,100 registered caregivers, who could supply marijuana to up to five patients to use to help treat a variety of ailments. That model will stay in effect with the new regulations, along with five categories of licenses — growers, who can produce up to 500, 1,000 or 1,500 plants, processors, testers, transporters and dispensaries.

To start fresh, the state Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs wants the dispensaries that are operating now to shut down Dec. 15 and not open again until they get a license. And that has caused a panic among medical marijuana users, who have crowded licensing board meetings to tell regulators that the transition time will leave them without the medicine that they need to function.

As a result, lawmakers have introduced bills in the House and the Senate that would allow the dispensaries to stay open during that transition period while they're awaiting a license.

At a hearing on the bill in the Senate Michigan Competitiveness Committee last week, Carla Boyd, a board member of the Michigan Epilepsy Foundation from Grand Rapids, said shutting down the dispensaries would be devastating for many people, including her 15-year-old daughter Laine, who has found relief from epileptic seizures with cannabis-infused oils.

"You just can’t abruptly stop take any anti-seizure drugs," she said. "If you shut down existing dispensaries for any amount of time, people are going to end up in the hospital, I promise you that."

But Steve Linder, a Republican political consultant representing the Michigan Responsibility Council, which consists of successful entrepreneurs who want to get into the medical marijuana business, want the dispensaries shut down immediately.

"This gives a carve-out for people who knowingly are breaking the law," he said. "Everyone feels compassion for people who need access to medicine. But it's a patient’s responsibility to find themselves a caregiver."

His stance brought this testy exchange from Sen. Rick Jones, R-Grand Ledge, one of the sponsors of the legislation allowing dispensaries to stay open during the transition.

"What millionaires are you working for and who wants a monopoly in this business?" Jones asked Linder.

"That's kind of like my wife asking if I look fat in this dress," Linder replied. "I’m not going to dignify that with an answer."

Sen. Mike Shirkey, R-Clarklake, said he supports the bills and expects quick action in both the committee and the full Senate.

"This was an unintentional oversight when we passed the comprehensive legislation last year," he said. "But this is not going to drag out. It’s not going to linger."

 

[Baron23]

Looks to me like aside from one patient advocate, the rest of the panel are representatives of the embedded authority. Ain't that grand, more BS from the entrenched political class. @momofthegoons , you need a new Governor, IMO


Michigan Announces “Marihuana” Advisory Panel

On Friday, Governor Rick Snyder made public the first round of members appointed to the Marihuana Advisory Panel — a requirement of the Medical Marihuana Facilities Licensing Act implemented in December of last year.

The 17-member Marihuana Advisory Panel will consist of experts from a wide variety of fields who will suggest best practices for actualizing the various facets of the Licensing Act to both the Medical Marihuana Licensing Board and the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs.

“These individuals come from a range of backgrounds and I am confident their combined experiences will allow them to positively contribute to this panel,” Gov. Snyder said.

Each appointed member of the panel will hold their seat for three years retroactive to the Act’s official start date, ending on Dec. 20, 2019.

The initial appointees include:

• Local police representative: James Berlin, chief of the Roseville Police Department
• County representative: Alan Helmkamp, director of commission affairs for Wayne County
• Township representative: Catherine Kaufman, partner at Bauckham, Sparks, Thall, Seeber, & Kaufman, P.C.
• Michigan Sheriffs’ Association representative: Kim Cole, sheriff of Mason County
• Licensed physicians representative: Saqib Nakadar, medical director of Doc Greens Clinic
• Medical marijuana patients representative: Paul Samways, planning director for Cannabis Accounting and national director of the Bridge West Network
• Cities and villages representative: Suzanne Schulz, planning director and managing director of design, development, and community engagement for city of Grand Rapids

Next, Gov. Snyder will appoint representatives from the following fields:

• Michigan State Police
• Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
• Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs
• Attorney General’s office
• Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development

After licensing begins, the remaining seats will be filled with experts in transportation, safety compliance, dispensaries, cultivation, and processing.