Dozens of Michigan medical marijuana dispensaries will be able to reopen after the state forced them to close earlier this month.
The Medical Marijuana Licensing Board (MMLB) passed a recommendation Wednesday that will temporarily allow the facilities to do business while waiting to get their license.
This comes after several medical marijuana patients complained about the supply shortage during the shutdown.
“It was booming, thriving with products. We had patients coming here every 5 to 10 minutes, and now all of that is a standstill," said Rush Hasan, general manager of Reef medical marijuana dispensary.
Under the new recommendation, the care network will be able to bridge the gap by supplying cannabis to a licensed processor, a licensed grower or a temporary or licensed dispensary. The dispensary can then sell that supply to patients, allowing the demand to be met for now.
Here's the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs' recommendation to the licensing board:
LARA recommended the licensing board adopt a resolution that making it clear that disciplinary action will not be taken against an applicant in the following circumstances:
Temporarily Operating Facilities (through March 31, 2019)
- The applicant’s proposed facility is within a municipality that had an authorizing ordinance in place by December 15, 2017.
- The applicant applied for a license no later than February 15, 2018.
- The applicant notifies the Department within one business day of becoming aware of any adverse reaction to a marijuana product sold or transferred.
Licensed Provisioning Centers (through March 31, 2019)
The Board will not take disciplinary action against a licensed provisioning center for purchasing marijuana products from either a registered primary caregiver or from a temporarily operating facility, as long as the licensee does all the following:
- Obtain signed patient consent prior to selling any marijuana products that have not been tested in full compliance with the law and administrative rules.
- Enter all inventory into the statewide monitoring system immediately upon receipt from a caregiver or from a temporarily operating facility.
- Verify and confirm – before any sale or transfer – with government issued photo identification and the statewide monitoring system that the customer holds a valid registry identification card.
- Enter all sales in the statewide monitoring system and determine sales will not exceed daily purchasing limits.
- Notify LARA within one business day of becoming aware of any adverse reaction to a marijuana product sold or transferred.
Licensed Growers or Processors (through March 31, 2019)
The Board will not take disciplinary action against a licensed grower or processor for purchasing marijuana products from either a registered primary caregiver or from a temporarily operating facility, as long as the licensee does all the following:
- Enter all marijuana products as inventory into the statewide monitoring system immediately upon receipt.
- Tag or package all inventory that has been identified in the statewide monitoring system.
- Only transfer marijuana products that have been tested in full compliance with the law and administrative rules.
- Notify LARA within one business day of becoming aware of any adverse reaction to a marijuana product sold or transferred.
The new extension will last through the end of March.
