Law Michigan MMJ

[Baron23]

And this is solely due to the fact that @momofthegoons lives there!! hahaha


Michigan is smoking more marijuana than any other state during coronavirus pandemic, survey says


Quarantine caused by the global outbreak of COVID-19 is forcing people across the world to find ways to entertain themselves.
In Michigan, people are lighting up.

According to a Twitter survey conducted by the health blog bodynutrition.org, Michigan residents are smoking marijuana more than any other state during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Analysts used trends software with direct access to geotagged twitter data to arrive at the conclusion.

More than 200,000 tweets since March 1 were tracked, specifically tweets and hashtags about using marijuana, including phrases such as "smoke weed," "get high," and all related slang terms, were considered.

Michigan legalized recreational marijuana in November 2018 and the market, and regulation, has continued to develop since.

Overall, the southern half of the U.S. has the most activity when it comes to smoking weed, with the exception of Michigan, which was the number one state overall.

The top marijuana using states during the coronavirus outbreak are as follows, according to the survey:

1. Michigan
2. Georgia
3. Texas
4. Louisiana
5. Hawaii
6. Nevada
7. Maryland
8. Delaware
9. New Mexico
10. California

According to a Twitter survey conducted by the health blog bodynutrition.org, Michigan residents are smoking marijuana more than any other state during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

 

[momofthegoons]

Hash Bash in Ann Arbor will be virtual this year because of coronavirus: How to watch

People will still be lighting them up at high noon on Saturday to commemorate the 49th annual Hash Bash, but like so many other things during the coronavirus pandemic, the party will be in front of a computer screen, rather than on the Diag at the University of Michigan.

The celebration of all things cannabis is going virtual this year because of the COVID-19 that is spreading across Michigan and causing the state to ban gatherings and ordering people to stay in their homes for all but essential business.

And smoking pot with 1,000 or more of your friends, as crowds have done for years on the first Saturday in April in Ann Arbor, is not considered essential.

"We have to change with the times and these are dark times right now," said Matt Abel, a Detroit attorney and executive director of the Michigan chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML). "And nothing is as important as staying healthy. That has to be the first priority."

The event will be less like a protest rally against harsh marijuana laws that defined Hash Bash when it started in 1974 and more like a conference call with a buzz.

“One of the best things about Hash Bash is the sense of community that you get when you’re surrounded by thousands of people who think the way you do,” said Rick Thompson, a board member of NORML. “And that’s just not practical now.”

Even the hardest core marijuana activists, who early on had insisted that they’d be on the Diag on Saturday no matter what and damn the stay-at-home order, have come around.

“Whenever you’re presented with a radical change, people do a lot of tough talking, but since that time the situation has grown a lot more serious,” Thompson said. “I lost my father in December to cancer and I still have one parent left and I jealously guard her. We really have to take extra precautions, especially for those who are in the vulnerable community.”

The online Hash Bash will begin at noon Saturday and will be available to watch at PlanetGreenTreesTV.com or HypedUpLiveSessions.com. It will be filled with speakers, musical acts, even a comedian or two

The event will feature many of the same speakers who have been mainstays at Hash Bash for years, including Red Wing great and cannabis enthusiast and businessman Darren McCarty, state Sen. Jeff Irwin and state House Rep. Yousef Rabhi, both Democrats from Ann Arbor, and Abel.

Hash Bash began on April 1, 1972, and has been held every year since, mostly on the first Saturday in April, attracting thousands of cannabis enthusiasts who openly smoke, vape or ingest marijuana. The norm is to share joints or bowls with friends and strangers at the event, leading to worries of an even greater spread of the virus.

Ann Arbor has been an appropriate place for the gathering since the city council decriminalized pot in 1974.

As much of a celebration, the event also has been an act of defiance by activists who, over the years, have fought for the legalization of marijuana. In 2018, activists won the battle when Michigan voters approved recreational marijuana by a 56%-44% margin. The 2019 Hash Bash became a celebration of the ballot victory.

The digital version of Hash Bash isn't the only change for the cannabis community. Podcasts have changed to allow for split screens so podcast hosts can continue to interview people without having them in the same room. A conference at the University of Michigan on the economics of the marijuana business is going online and the social networking group Cannabis Connection has also gone virtual.

"Our industry is adapting quite nicely," Thompson said.

 

[momofthegoons]

Michigan cuts a big part of the supply chain for recreational marijuana market

The Marijuana Regulatory Agency has cut a major supply chain of pot to the recreational market.

The agency has issued an order saying that recreational marijuana retailers can no longer buy cannabis products produced by caregivers, the network of growers who have been growing pot since medical marijuana became legal in 2008.

These growers account for roughly 60% of the medical and recreational marijuana being sold in licensed shops across Michigan. They were supposed to be able to continue to supply both the medical and recreational side of the market until Oct. 1, a time period the state said was designed to give licensed growers a cushion of time to grow and harvest enough pot to feed both the medical and recreational markets.

But the MRA, in an abrupt bulletin last week, said only the medical side of the market can now buy and sell caregiver product.

“Effective April 8, 2020, the MRA will not permit caregiver-produced or derived product to enter the adult-use market,” the bulletin read.

The action comes after at least one large licensed grower flooded the market with more than 5,000 pounds of caregiver marijuana flower in the last month, said several sources who track the marijuana that becomes available for sale.

That much pot is far more than one caregiver is allowed to grow. Each caregiver can grow up to 72 plants for up to six medical marijuana cardholders. The excess amounts that the caregivers have grown has been used to supplement the supply of legal weed for the medical and recreational markets.


The decision is a boon to the big licensed growers in the state, who are hoping to squeeze out the competition from caregivers who don't have the same overhead costs as licensed growers, said Paul Samways, a Brighton-based accountant who specializes in the cannabis industry.

But the decision also means the move will result in critical shortages of legal weed for adult recreational use, at least until the licensed growers can produce and harvest enough legal weed to feed the market.

“What this is going to do is put a crimp in the supply for recreational marijuana,” said Samways. “If rec ever gets enough supply to meet the demand, then the medical market will fall off.”

State officials said it’s important to protect the supply for medical marijuana patients.

“The caregiver product brought into market was meant to supplement the medical market,” said David Harns, spokesman for the Marijuana Regulatory Agency. “And on the adult use side, things are moving toward a self-sustaining eco-system.”

Caregiver product that has already been designated as recreational product at pot shops in Michigan can still be sold to anyone 21 or older. But new caregiver product cannot come into the recreational market under the state’s order.

 

[Baron23]

Local rules trump Michigan’s medical cannabis law, state high court says

Michigan’s medical marijuana law does not overrule certain zoning powers of local governments, the state Supreme Court ruled Monday.

An ordinance in Byron Township, south of Grand Rapids, bars registered caregivers from growing marijuana at a commercial property.

The state appeals court ruled that the ordinance conflicted with Michigan’s medical marijuana law, which allows cultivation in an “enclosed, locked facility.”

But the Supreme Court, in a unanimous opinion, said the state MMJ law does not prevent local governments from regulating land use as long as officials do not prohibit or penalize all medical marijuana cultivation.

The high court said Byron Township can also require caregivers to obtain a permit and pay a fee before they use a building to grow medical marijuana.

 

[Baron23]

Michigan wholesale medical marijuana prices fall on flood of caregiver product

Wholesale prices for medical cannabis plummeted in Michigan after a change in regulations that prevents caregivers from selling into the recreational market caused them to offload large amounts of flower.

Several cannabis industry experts say that, before the change in the law, wholesale pounds of medical marijuana flower were selling for around $4,000 a pound.

But that price fell to $1,800-$2,200 a pound in the past few weeks, which will negatively affect any grower that’s selling into the medical market.

The state’s Marijuana Regulatory Agency issued a bulletin earlier this month mandating that caregiver-produced or -derived product could not be sold into the adult-use market effective April 8.

Before the change, Michigan caregivers supplied roughly 60% of the adult-use and medical marijuana for the state.

“The medical side of the equation is seeing fairly significant price reductions,” said Vishal Rungta, president and CFO of C3 Industries, a vertically integrated cannabis company based in Ann Arbor.

“There is more product than there used to be, mostly on the medical marijuana side.”

Rick Thompson, owner of the Michigan Cannabis Business Development Group in Flint, said two years ago the state’s medical marijuana was sourced almost exclusively from MMJ caregivers and sold for as low as $2,000 a pound.

As caregiver marijuana was gradually phased out and commercially cultivated cannabis was introduced into the regulated system, the price spiked to as high as $5,000 for premium flower, according to Thompson.

And, despite the higher prices, the coronavirus pandemic didn’t slow sales.

The state’s cannabis industry was labeled as an essential industry and production continued at nearly an uninterrupted flow despite retail sales being diminished by physical-distancing and isolation protocols, he added.

“We have entered the time where (medical) supply is beginning to outstrip demand, and prices are falling,” Thompson said.

“When isolation protocols are lifted, the cannabis industry will be the first in the state to recover from the crisis.”

He believes the upward trend in sales and production the industry experienced before the coronavirus crisis will resume.

“When demand for (medical) commercial cannabis ramps back up, wholesale flower pricing will rebound somewhat, but the industry will not see pricing averages of $4,000 pound or higher ever again,” Thompson added.

Robin Schneider, executive director of the Michigan Cannabis Industry Association, partially attributed the decrease in wholesale pricing to an increase in production.

“It’s also important to take into account that, due to the serious supply shortages we experienced early on, our state has allowed caregiver product to supplement licensed supply so long as it can pass testing,” she added.

The state is in the process of phasing out caregiver product and shifting to a fully licensed and regulated market by October 2020.

 

[momofthegoons]

Caregiver's Last Stand

In April the Michigan Supreme Court Ruled in Favor of Byron Township, upholding the local
ordinance that restricts caregiver growers. The Court ruled that a municipality can enact an ordinance that forces caregivers to register their grow with the city, village or township authorities. Other restrictions such as, limiting the space a caregiver or patient can grow to a specified square footage of a home of property. Electrical limits have been considered.

In a unanimous opinion written by Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Richard Bernstein, the court held the Court of Appeals erred when it ruled in favor of Christie DeRuiter, who sued after Byron Township officials told her in March 2016 that her medical marijuana-related activities constituted a zoning violation because she grew marijuana in an enclosed, locked facility at a commercial location.


“The Michigan Medical Marijuana Act (MMMA) doesn’t nullify a municipality’s “inherent authority to regulate land use” under the state’s zoning act -- so long as it doesn’t prohibit or penalize all medical marijuana cultivation.”

The Vote Green Initiative Project (VGIP) was started as an education program to promote being active in the election process. In the years past dozens of meetings were held around the state to educate and advocate for individual cannabis rights, safe access to medical marijuana, as well as local petition drives. Thousands of iconic Vote Green tee shirts were distributed to eager participants to wear as badge of honor.

Many cities around the State used the VGIP platform to assemble petition teams, led by the Godfather of cannabis law, Tim Beck of the Safer Michigan Coalition. Several petition styles were drafted, to tackle the nuances of each municipality. Sometimes amending a cities code to remove penalties was the simplest way to produce a victory. Chuck Ream used a different technique in Ypsilanti called Lowest Law Enforcement Priority (LLEP), which used money spent and annual reports to curb marijuana prosecutions. Grand Rapids, working independently took a play from Ann Arbor and made possession a small fine, to decriminalize pot to a certain degree.

These small victories in Detroit, Ypsilanti, Flint, Ferndale, Grand Rapids, Port Huron, Saginaw, and several others, demonstrated solid support for legalization. Thus, a statewide campaign was started and has now come to fruition. For many this is a lifetime achievement culminated by years of hard work in the face of reefer madness. But is the fight over?


VGIP will be conducting Petitioning Seminars around the state to reverse ordinances in communities that enact harmful cannabis cultivation rules. Contact Ben Horner if you are interested in hosting one in your community.

 

[momofthegoons]

COVID-19 fails to stop Michigan pot industry as sales explode during pandemic

At least one industry in Michigan has largely been left unscathed by the coronavirus pandemic.

Recreational marijuana operations have mushroomed, while weekly sales of recreational marijuana in Michigan from March 9 onward have risen significantly.

Recreational pot sales in the nine weeks since March 9 now make up roughly 60% of the state's overall sales since legal adult-use marijuana sales started Dec. 1. The 14 weeks prior to March 9 account for about 40% of overall marijuana sales.

Employee Jarred Brooks brings an order to a driver waiting curbside on Walled Lake Road at the Greenhouse marijuana dispensary in Walled Lake, March 26, 2020. A stay-home edict by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer limited marijuana sales to deliveries and curbside pickup. (Photo: David Guralnick, The Detroit News)

About $54.6 million in recreational marijuana sales were reported to the state in the nine weeks between March 9 and May 10, with more than $7 million weekly total sales each week for the past four weeks.

Sales over the last nine weeks make up roughly 60% of the $91.6 million in total sales over the 23 weeks that legal recreational marijuana sales have occurred.

The state has reaped about $9.2 million in excise taxes from the sales as well as roughly $6 million in sales tax revenue. But pandemic-prompted shutdowns and delayed tax collections have prompted the State Budget Office to project the state needs to cut $1 billion to $3 billion from the current year budget that closes at the end of September.

The increase in sales since March 9 may be due in part to pandemic-induced anxiety, but is likely more a result of the natural growth of the industry in Michigan, experts have said.

In about two months, the number of licensed recreational marijuana retailers in Michigan has grown 70% from 61 on March 2 to 104 retailers on May 12.

By contrast, tens of thousands of businesses throughout the state have been forced to shut down or reduce operations because of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's stay-home emergency order restrictions. Manufacturers, which account for 19% of Michigan's economic activity, began to reopen operations on Monday after Whitmer gave the go ahead last Thursday.

"It's fair to say that during any crisis people use intoxicants more than normal,” said Rick Thompson, owner of Michigan Cannabis Business Development Group. But he argued the increase in sales was also a "testament to the strength of the industry."

"Once social distancing is lifted and industry returns to normal, the recreational industry will rise like a cork from the bottom of a bathtub faster than any other industry would recover," Thompson said.

The largest increase in sales in the past nine weeks occurred during the week of April 13-19, when sales skyrocketed 57% to $7.2 million.

That week marked the lead-up to April 20, a day celebrated by many cannabis activists, as well as the start of the Internal Revenue Service's dispersal of $1,200 federal stimulus checks.

Whitmer’s stay-home order, first issued March 23, prohibited businesses from requiring employees to leave home except in the case of employees “necessary to sustain or protect life or to conduct minimum basic operations.” Less than 5% of all businesses were considered "essential."

That order appeared largely to exempt medical and recreational facilities, according to guidance given to marijuana licensee by the Michigan Marijuana Regulatory Agency. Whitmer ran for governor in 2018 on a platform of backing recreational marijuana legalization, as did the other Democratic gubernatorial hopefuls

The medical and recreational facilities were allowed to continue operating so long as employees kept six-foot distances and all sales were completed via curbside service or home delivery, per the agency's guidance.

The decision to allow the continued sale of recreational marijuana was largely due to the industry's ties to medical marijuana sales, said David Harns, a spokesman for the Marijuana Regulatory Agency.

"Most of the adult use retailers were located in medical provisioning centers so keeping medical access a priority basically resulted in keeping sites open," Harns said.

 

[momofthegoons]

Ferndale's first recreational marijuana sales set to begin at LIV

Ferndale's first recreational marijuana store will soon be open for business. Recreational sales start at LIV Cannabis Company on Friday May 15.

Any adult age 21 or older can purchase, no medical marijuana card needed.

According to a press release, LIV will offer curbside pick-up and some home delivery. And the company will give away gift bags to the first 200 customers this weekend, including a bottle of hand sanitizer, face masks, CBD, and other swag.

LIV is located at 2625 Hilton Road, Ferndale; 248-420-4200; livferndale.com.

The company is Oakland County's fourth recreational marijuana retail store, following the Greenhouse of Walled Lake, Breeze, and Lume.

 

[momofthegoons]

Recreational marijuana sales begin in Kalamazoo

KALAMAZOO, MI — Marijuana is now available for sale in the city of Kalamazoo to anyone 21 or older.

Lume Cannabis Co. began selling cannabis products for adult-use customers beginning Saturday, June 6, at its Kalamazoo store at 3406 Stadium Drive. The store is the first to offer recreational marijuana sales in the city, according to Lume.

The store opened to the public at 50% capacity and customers are required to wear a mask or other face covering to enter the store due to restrictions in place because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lume said in a news release.

Kalamazoo Store Manager Nathaniel Adkins said the company, with eight stores in Michigan, strives for uniformity of its product offerings, so that the experience at every Lume store is the same.

“We’ve had a lot of awesome feedback and we’e met a lot of really good friends over these last two days,” he said on Monday, June 8, the third day of recreational sales in the city.

Lume continues to operate a medical marijuana business on site that opened in October 2019.

The company was doing about 70 tickets per day selling to medical patients, and sales increased to about 250 tickets per day once the company began offering recreational sales, Adkins said. People from Texas, Virginia and other states have stopped in, in addition to more local visitors, he said.

“We are thrilled to expand our Kalamazoo retail operation to offer our high-quality cannabis products for adult use,” said Doug Hellyar, president and COO of Lume. “We have been preparing for this day for months and look forward to introducing our wide variety of Lume flower and our new effects-based Lume Cartridges to the recreational cannabis community in Kalamazoo and surrounding communities.”

Lume offers cannabis as well as pre-rolled joints, edibles, concentrates and a new line of CBD products only available at Lume stores. Visit lume.com/Kalamazoo for a full product list and to place an order.

Lume can now allow customers wearing masks or other face coverings inside the Kalamazoo store for in-store retail sales, Lume said, which is in line with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Executive Order 2020-110, which eased restrictions on retailers, restaurants and other businesses beginning in June.

Customers are still encouraged to place online orders for curbside pick-up and delivery to protect the health and safety of its staff and customers, the company said.

“Our goal is to be the state’s top cannabis operator and that begins with providing our high-quality products and a customer experience our competitors can’t match,” Hellyar said in a prepared statement. “We take great pride in educating our customers on all things cannabis and making it as convenient as possible to access the best products to meet their needs.”

Lume is a privately held vertically integrated cannabis company with Michigan roots, according to the company, committed to producing high-quality cannabis products for medical patients and recreational consumers to enjoy.

Lume operates stores in Michigan in Adrian, Big Rapids, Evart, Honor, Kalamazoo, Negaunee, Owosso and Walled Lake. Lume plans to have 20 stores by the end of 2020, and 100 stores across the state by the end of 2024, the company said.

The Kalamazoo location will be the company’s eighth store to offer adult-use sales.

The Evart cultivation location, currently 50,000 square feet, will be expanded to 150,000 square feet by the end of 2020, and to 450,000 square feet by the end of 2024. The company said the move would make Lume the leading single-state cannabis operator in the United States.

To learn more, visit www.lume.com or follow Lume on Instagram at www.instagram.com/lumecanna.

The city of Kalamazoo approved rules and zoning regulations for recreational marijuana businesses in May, allowing businesses to apply to operate by obtaining a local license through the city.

Lume is the only business currently licensed by the state to operate in the city, according to state records.

Others are working toward opening in the adult use market now.

The Refinery, a medical marijuana provisioning center operating at 3650 Alvan Road in Kalamazoo, applied for its local license to operate an adult-use retailer as soon as the city approved ordinances to allow cannabis businesses, Co-Owner Thomas P. Farrell said. Farrell runs the cannabis business with his father, Thomas M. Farrell. The company is now waiting for its state license for adult use sales to be approved, and for final approval from the city to open.

“We’re just relieved as hell that the ordinance finally went through,” Thomas M. Farrell said.

Jevin Weyenberg of Lake Effect medical cannabis dispensary at 8314 Portage Road in Portage, said the business is seeking adult use licenses for grow and processor operations in the city of Kalamazoo.

“I look forward to seeing a robust cannabis industry in the city of Kalamazoo that is going to provide hundreds of jobs and opportunities for the community in the near future,” Weyenberg said.

Lake Effect is also planning to apply for an adult use license for a retail shop in the city of Portage with plans to sell to the adult use market in addition to medical. The adult use shop would be located at the same site as the medical provisioning center, he said.

The city of Kalamazoo approved ordinances in May to allow recreational cannabis businesses. The city approved cannabis businesses, though it took several months longer than some other nearby communities to do so.

Officials said part of the delay was due to the city working out the details of its social equity policy before approving the ordinances in May. The policy aims to help people harmed by the war on drugs to enter the newly legal industry.

Lume sued the city of Kalamazoo over the delay in allowing adult-use cannabis businesses.

 

[momofthegoons]

Whitmer signs law clarifying roadside drug testing of drivers statewide

LANSING (WJRT) (6/11/2020) - A new law Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed on Thursday clears up wording in a statewide pilot program of testing potentially drug impaired drivers on the roadside.

The program started in 2017 with five counties and Michigan State Police were allowed to expand it statewide to all 83 counties last fall.

The bill Whitmer signed Thursday changes wording in the Michigan Vehicle Code to remove mentions of the original five counties and note that the program is statewide.

All certified drug recognition experts in the state are allowed to take part in the pilot program.

The tests are designed to detect the presence of a controlled substance on someone using an oral swab. Results are available within minutes.

A drug recognition expert can require the swab if they believe a driver is operating while intoxicated. Refusal to allow the test can result in a civil infraction for a driver.

The test can detect the presence of amphetamines, benzodiazepines, cannabis, cocaine, methamphetamines and opiates.

 

[Baron23]

Whitmer signs law clarifying roadside drug testing of drivers statewide

LANSING (WJRT) (6/11/2020) - A new law Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed on Thursday clears up wording in a statewide pilot program of testing potentially drug impaired drivers on the roadside.

The program started in 2017 with five counties and Michigan State Police were allowed to expand it statewide to all 83 counties last fall.

The bill Whitmer signed Thursday changes wording in the Michigan Vehicle Code to remove mentions of the original five counties and note that the program is statewide.

All certified drug recognition experts in the state are allowed to take part in the pilot program.

The tests are designed to detect the presence of a controlled substance on someone using an oral swab. Results are available within minutes.

A drug recognition expert can require the swab if they believe a driver is operating while intoxicated. Refusal to allow the test can result in a civil infraction for a driver.

The test can detect the presence of amphetamines, benzodiazepines, cannabis, cocaine, methamphetamines and opiates.

Oh fucking joy.....when did Michigan become part of the former USSR?

Now, I'm assuming that like all of these tests, it will alarm on THC metabolites that can remain in your system for months and is not indicative of intoxication or impairment...or is this test something different????

 

[CarolKing]

Keep your medical cannabis cards, if you are tested at least you have that to validate your usage. I kept mine in WA until the state made it too difficult for the patients to acquire one. My HMO doesn’t give out recommendations for cannabis unless you’re going through chemo. I did tell my doctor that I use cannabis.
I didn’t know they had a test that couldn’t be challenged in court? Or maybe the gov doesn’t care, some folks can’t afford to take something like this to court.

 

[Baron23]

Union ‘peace agreement’ obligation erased from Michigan marijuana industry rules



While there were multiple contentious rules proposed for Michigan’s marijuana industry, one involving labor unions elicited the most passionate response at a public meeting in February.

The requirement for marijuana businesses to enter what was dubbed a “labor peace agreement” has been removed from the final version of marijuana industry rules expected to take effect June 22, Marijuana Regulatory Agency spokesman David Harns said.

Also notably missing from the final version of the rules is the ability for a business to be licensed solely for marijuana delivery and a clause that would have allowed the state to force sales between marijuana growers and retailers, who may also be competitors. The intent behind the rule, which received blowback from large, vertically integrated marijuana companies that produce and sell their own marijuana, was to prevent shortages among smaller retailers without their own marijuana supply.
All 100-plus pages of the final rules are available here.

Some Republicans believed the labor peace agreement was an attempt to unionize, while Democrats and Marijuana Regulatory Agency Director Andrew Brisbo said it was intended to protect the new, vulnerable industry.

The proposed rule would have required every marijuana business to sign a peace agreement with a union before being granted a license.

“A labor peace agreement is an agreement between an operator and a recognized labor organization just to ensure that both sides come to the table,” Brisbo said in February, “that the business owner won’t stand in the way of organization by the staff of the facility and that the labor organization wouldn’t push the labor force into a strike situation.

" ... Other states have adopted a pretty similar philosophy. We took a pretty broad approach. We didn’t want to dictate specifically what the agreements were supposed to look like, just create that connection between the industry and labor organizations.”

The state legislature passed concurrent resolutions opposing the agreement mandate in January.

“These labor peace agreements are really a Mob-style shakedown of these new businesses that are growing,” Sen. Aric Nesbitt, R-Lawton, said in January. “At least the Mob lets you get going first. They won’t even issue a license unless you sign one of these labor peace agreements."

In order for the Marijuana Regulatory Agency rules to become law, they need the support of the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR), currently comprised of six Republican and four Democratic lawmakers.

After the final rules are submitted to JCAR, the body has 15 sessions to take action or amend the rules. JCAR members voted to forgo the allotted consideration period during their meeting Wednesday.

Sen. Ed McBroom, a Republican whose district covers most of the Upper Peninsula, was the only JCAR member to vote against allowing the rules to be submitted without waiting for the 15-session consideration period to expire.

“I continue to be opposed to the promulgation of marijuana and its usage in our state and in our society at large," McBroom said, "and will remain in opposition to any expediting of its adoption.”

 

[Baron23]

Michigan: For first time, weekly recreational marijuana sales exceed medical marijuana sales


Michigan retailers sold more recreational marijuana products than medicinal for the first time last week.

Since the sale of recreational marijuana became legal back in December, the weekly sales of adult use cannabis have been creeping up and up. But the sale of medical marijuana was always higher.
Until last week.

The Marijuana Regulatory Agency reports last week state retailers sold just over $10 million worth of recreational marijuana products compared with $9.9 million in medical marijuana.

Michiganders voted to legalize recreational marijuana use in 2018. State regulators spent most of 2019 crafting rules for the adult use industry, before allowing retail sales to begin in December.

Before the end of this month, it’s likely Michigan retailers will have sold more than $150 million in recreational use cannabis products since sales began legal December 1.

 

[momofthegoons]

New Michigan marijuana rules go into effect this week

Marijuana businesses in Michigan must now use newly created applications and resources, state regulators announced Monday.

The Michigan Marijuana Regulatory Agency said in a news release that new rules “implement, administer and enforce appropriate standards for marijuana businesses and associated equipment and establish regulations ensuring the safety, security, and integrity of the operation of marijuana businesses and are intended to provide clarity and consistency to those working in both the medical and adult-use markets.”

What the state is calling topic-based changes to the rules include updated requirements on licensing, operations, sampling, testing and marijuana-infused products and edible marijuana products.

Applicants for adult-use establishments can find the new rules by clicking here.

Applications for medical marijuana facilities can click here for the for the rules.

The Michigan Marijuana Regulatory Agency Licensing Division can be reached by calling 517-284-8599.

 

[momofthegoons]

Border protection officers seize more than 400 pounds of marijuana at Ambassador Bridge

Customs and Border Protection officers seized 418 pounds of marijuana in a trash hauler Friday morning at approximately 4 a.m. at the Fort Street Cargo Facility, according to officials.

The truck, which was driven by a Canadian citizen, was flagged for inspection after crossing the Ambassador Bridge then searched and x-rayed.

During the inspection, officers found several "odd shapes in the rear of the hauler" that turned out to be 15 large bags of marijuana, according to a release from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

“This seizure once again demonstrates the vigilance of CBP Officers — even during these trying times,” Devin Chamberlain, Detroit Port Director, said in the release. “I am proud of our officers and grateful for their attention to detail that ultimately prevented this illicit cargo from entering our country.”

The driver was then arrested by federal officials and now faces charges for the possession and transportation of illegal drugs.

 

[Baron23]

Michigan Limits Cannabis Worker Protections with Industry Rules Update


An update to Michigan’s cannabis industry regulations will no longer require operators in the space to maintain labor peace agreements, which are meant to protect the industry and its workers.
New cannabis industry rules take effect this week in Michigan, including updated labor rules that no longer require operators to maintain labor peace agreements, according to an MLive report. The new Marijuana Regulatory Agency rules also fail to include delivery-only business licenses and a clause that would have allowed the state to force sales between cultivators and retailers even though they might be competitors under the state’s vertical integration system.
The labor peace agreement rule would have required any cannabusiness to have a labor agreement in place with employees. Marijuana Regulatory Agency Director Andrew Brisbo explained that the proposed rules would have protected the industry and its workers.

“A labor peace agreement is an agreement between an operator and a recognized labor organization just to ensure that both sides come to the table, that the business owner won’t stand in the way of organization by the staff of the facility and that the labor organization wouldn’t push the labor force into a strike situation.” – Brisbo to MLive

Republican State Sen. Aric Nesbitt described the agreements as “a Mob-style shakedown of these new businesses that are growing.”
“At least the Mob lets you get going first. They won’t even issue a license unless you sign one of these labor peace agreements,” he said in an interview with MLive.
In a press release, the MRA said the rules “implement, administer and enforce appropriate standards for marijuana businesses and associated equipment and establish regulations ensuring the safety, security, and integrity of the operation of marijuana businesses and are intended to provide clarity and consistency to those working in both the medical and adult-use markets.”
The rules are largely final versions of emergency rules the state had been operating under; however, the labor peace agreement had been divisive. In January the Republican-controlled state legislature passed concurrent resolutions opposing the agreements.

 

[momofthegoons]

Former Detroit Red Wing Darren McCarty has entered the marijuana game with 'Pucker Up' pre-rolls

After going public with his struggles with alcoholism and crediting medical marijuana to helping him overcome them, former Detroit Red Wing Darren McCarty is now getting off the bench and entering the cannabis industry himself.

The four-time Stanley Cup champion has teamed up with Michigan-based cannabis company Pincanna to launch a new line of pre-rolls for medical marijuana customers. The Darren McCarty "Pucker Up" pre-rolls will be available when Pincanna opens its Kalkaska store on Thursday, July 2.

"Words can't express how grateful I am to have this opportunity to spread the love and benefits of cannabis," McCarty said in a statement. "This is just the start of creating an amazing collection of medical cannabis products to help others with their wellness practices, as they seek to relieve body aches and pains."

According to a press release, McCarty is working with Pincanna on future products, including marijuana strains, gummies, a CBD topical rub, and a weed-infused candy bar.

McCarty is one of several athletes to go public about marijuana use in recent years, something that had been taboo in professional sports. Recently, the major leagues have decided to loosen restrictions on cannabis use.

"It saved my life," McCarty told the Detroit Free Press. "I'd be dead without it."

The Pincanna Kalkaska store is located at 786 S. Cedar Street. Pincanna plans to open other stores throughout the state.

 

[momofthegoons]

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Michigan marijuana industry licensed to grow over 500,000 plants

LANSING, MI -- A rapidly growing number of marijuana plants are reaching toward high-wattage grow lights across Michigan.

This has resulted in slowly decreasing retail prices for both medical and recreational marijuana. The price reductions come following a spike after the opening of the first recreational marijuana shops in December.

Nearly 8,600 pounds were sold between the two markets in May alone, versus about 3,000 in January, according to Marijuana Regulatory Agency monthly reporting.

“I think (prices) will continue to drop just in the short term because we do see increases in production on the adult-use side,” Marijuana Regulatory Agency Director Andrew Briso told MLive in June. " ... Where it settles long term, I couldn’t really say what is going to be the price two years from now (or) five years from now when supply is adequate.

“What we need to be cautious about and be wary of is what happened in Oregon ... where the scale shifted and there was oversupply, because then the price kind of bottoms out.”

While the recreational market continues to grow rapidly, Brisbo said the majority of the recreational product continues to come from marijuana originally planted under medical marijuana licenses, which are more abundant.

Michigan allows companies to transfer medical marijuana product for recreational sales after it’s been in inventory for 30 days.

As of July 13, Michigan’s marijuana industry -- including medical and recreational businesses -- was licensed to grow 511,500 plants, a figure that accounts for a quickly escalating number of grow licenses in both markets.

Based on a low-end estimate of a quarter pound harvested per plant with three grow cycles per year, that equates to a potential annual production of approaching 400,000 pounds of usable marijuana. If that was sold for an average of $410 per ounce, the average retail price for recreational marijuana in May, that could generate nearly $2.6 billion in total sales.

However, many plants are destroyed for a variety of reasons, such as not meeting strict state limits for yeast and mold or chemical, before they make it to harvest. Nearly 1.6 million plants have been destroyed since December, according to Marijuana Regulatory Agency data.

The total plant count allowed under a license doesn’t include young plants that are less than eight inches tall or eight inches wide, under the new industry rules put in place last month.

A March 2020 report released by Michigan State University economists William Knudson and Steven Miller estimates Michigan’s recreational “adult-use” industry alone in several years will eclipse $3 billion in sales annually with a total economic impact of $7.85 billion and the creation of 23,700 jobs in the state.

As of June 1, the total licensed plant figure was 426,000, representing a 20% increase in less than two months, based on monthly statistical reports published by the Marijuana Regulatory Agency and analysis of licenses listed on the state’s website.

The bulk of the licensed plants, 336,500, are licensed to be grown as medical marijuana. The remaining 175,000 plants are licensed in the recreational market, which launched on Dec. 1.

Grow licenses breakdown:

• There are seven recreational class B grower licenses able to grow a total of 7,000 plants. Each license allows for 1,000 plants.
• There are 78 active recreational class C grower licenses allowing for a total of 156,000 plants. Each license allows for 2,000 plants.
• There are six excess recreational marijuana grower licenses allowing for a total of 12,000 plants. Each licensed allows for 2,000 plants.
• There are 39 medical class A grower licenses allowing for a total of 19,500 plants. Each license allows for 500 plants.
• There are five medical class B grower licenses able to grow a total of 5,000 plants. Each license allows for 1,000 plants.
• There are 208 active recreational class C grower licenses allowing for a total of 312,000 plants. Each license allows for 1,500 plants.

“We can grow a pretty hefty amount of plants -- about 16,000 is what we’re licensed for -- and we do use most of that licensing,” said Evart-based Lume Cannabis Director of Cultivation Kevin Kuethe. " ... Depending on your cultivation style, one plant can mean a quarter of a pound of finished product or once plant can mean ... 10 pounds of finished product. It just depends ...

“Our cultivation style in this commercial setting, we tend to run higher volume of plants and vegetate them for a shorter period of time just because in my professional experience it’s been the best return for quality and yield per square foot that we can get ... "

Each plant is harvested when it reaches between four and six feet tall, said Kuethe, who’s operated commercial grow facilities in Arizona, Oregon, California and Nevada before relocating to rural central Michigan.

The grow facility has thousands, “if not tens of thousands” more young marijuana plants that don’t contribute toward the facility’s total grow limit, Kuethe said.

It’s not uncommon for large marijuana companies to possess numerous grow licenses in order to increase production capacity. About 90 companies account for the 208 class C medical licenses that had been issued as of Monday.

For example: Diamondale-based Green Peak Innovations has 13 class C medical licenses; Green Standard Cultivation in Bangor holds a dozen and LivWell Enlightened Health of Warren has 11.

“We have growers where they just have one or two (licenses) and they’re sort of a small business but they’re fully vertically integrated and just grow for themselves,” Brisbo said. “ ... And then we have growers that have multiple licenses ... I would say more than five, whose essential focus is to be a market supplier across the board and establish brands that they provide to every store.

" ... I think there’s still room in the market for various models of all sizes.”

Lume Cannabis is one of the vertically integrated, self-sustaining companies. It holds ten recreational licenses to operate retail and medical marijuana stores across the state, as well as a processing license to convert harvested marijuana into other products.

The company has plans to at quadruple its grow capacity over then next two years, said Kuethe. “We expect to do well over 10,000 pounds (of retail-ready marijuana) in 2020.”

“I wouldn’t be shocked if we have 50 licenses or so ... " Kuethe said. “It seems to me like (the Marijuana Regulatory Agency) want you to have a license and the more they can give, the more they’ll get paid for them since there’s an annual fee and the taxes associated.”

The state charges $40,000 for each initial class C or excess grow license it issues. Annual renewal fees fluctuate from $30,000 to $50,000 per license based on total sales.

The finished products won’t likely be sold anywhere except within the Lume Cannabis chain of stores.

“I don’t think we’ll be able to keep up with (demand at) our own stores,” Kuethe said. " ... I think the goal is to just keep up with what we can do now and if we get to that point (when we have surplus) we’ll be able to provide flower to the market.”

The recreational marijuana market hit a milestone in Junewhen weekly sales for the first time surpassed medical sales.

Based on the current pace of recreational marijuana growth, an MSU analysis of the industry projects tax revenue to reach $495.7 million, derived from a 10% excise and 6% sales tax, within “several years.”

 

[momofthegoons]

Michigan Native American Tribe Announces Retail Partnership With Cannabis Company

The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians has partnered up with Lume Cannabis.

The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians announced on Friday that it has reached an agreement with vertically-integrated Lume Cannabis Co. to open a retail cannabis dispensary on tribal land in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Joel Schultz, the Sault Tribe Economic Development executive director, said in a press release that the partnership has been awarded a license to operate an adult-use cannabis retailer on its tribal lands near the Canadian border.

“We are honored to work with the top cannabis operator in Michigan to bring high-quality cannabis products to medical patients and adult-use consumers who live in or visit Sault Ste. Marie and the Eastern Upper Peninsula area,” he said. “The Sault Tribe is working progressively to diversify economic development to enhance revenues to expand services to Sault Tribe Members. Lume has the expertise, passion, values, and philosophy that make them the ideal company to work with to bring recreational cannabis to Sault Ste. Marie.”

Under the retail partnership, Lume will offer more than 20 strains of cannabis flower as well as vape cartridges, pre-rolls, edibles, and a line of CBD products to members of the largest Native American tribe east of the Mississippi and visitors to the community.

“We are excited about our partnership with the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians and pleased to announce we’ve received an adult-use marijuana retail license to open our newest Lume location,” said Doug Hellyar, president and COO of Lume. “We look forward to introducing our high-quality cannabis products to adult-use customers and medical patients aged 21 and up with a valid medical card in Sault Ste. Marie and the surrounding communities.

Economic Opportunity For Indigenous Communities
Under the new partnership, Lume plans to open five additional retail cannabisstores on tribal land over the next two years. Lume, based in Troy, Michigan, currently operates 10 adult-use marijuana dispensaries in the state.

“This is a big moment for our tribe for the opportunities it represents. Until now, we have been on the outside of this thriving industry and we look forward to working with Lume to help Michiganders experience the numerous health, wellness, and other benefits of Lume’s high-quality cannabis products,” Schultz said.

All of Lume’s cannabis flower is grown at its cultivation facility in Evart, Michigan.

“Our newest partnership with the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians will take our operations to the next level and establish us as the state’s go-to source for all things cannabis, including our commitment to educating our customers and making it as convenient as possible for them to access the best, safest products to meet their individual needs,” Hellyar said.

Lume also has a partnership with the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians that is bringing retail cannabis shops to tribal trust lands in Petoskey and Mackinaw City, Michigan. Mackinaw City village manager Patrick Wyman said that while the township had decided to opt out of retail cannabis commerce, the local government has no control over the site.

“Once it becomes in trust, it becomes a sovereign area within our village limits which means they do not have to comply with any of our ordinances or restrictions or anything like that,” Wyman said, adding that the village has a fairly positive relationship with the tribe.

“They are allowed to do what they want and we understand that,” Wyman said.

Lume also has plans to open stores in Bay City, Cheboygan, and five other Michigan communities.