Hundreds of dispensary owners, growers and those wanting to get into the business in attendance for an educational seminar about the constantly changing legislation regarding medical cannabis.
"It's all about educating the patients the caregivers the people who want to continue in this industry,” Jacob Rufenacht said, he is the owner of a Lansing dispensary. “This is what this is there for- this is helping them to get a leg up to get an idea of what's coming and what they can do to prepare for it."
And one thing to prepare for is new statewide legislation that will regulate dispensaries- a necessary step in the industry.
"Folks who want to go into the business of providing safe and legal access to their patients and other patients in their community or region now have an avenue to do that legally," State Representative Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor) said.
And speakers say regulating the Lansing dispensary centers is going to be a good thing for the city.
"Once those 50-70 centers are licensed and regulated paying tax and contributing to the community, Lansing will have a lot more money,” Rick Thompson, a law reform activist said. Thompson is the creator of the M.I.C.B.D event.
But the process can be complicated to get your dispensary licensed- that's where more education comes in.
"I’m going to be talking to the conferences about how they can make sure those licenses are given out fairly and we create an industry that is a credit to the communities that we're operating in," Rep. Irwin said.
And since the ordinances are always changing- this seminar is preparing everyone for whatever comes their way.
"We are veering into unchartered territory and we need all hands on deck.” Anqunette ‘Q’ Jamison said. “We need everybody involved. We need the input and advice of so many people from different walks of life. We need different perspectives. We want to legalize the right way.”
And they believe this is a step in the right direction.
