The Medical Marihuana Licensing Board’s September 15th deadline for unlicensed provisioning centers to close is approaching fast.
Only about 16 licenses out of a reported 637 applications have been approved.
There are approximately over 200 provisioning centers operating temporarily under state emergency rules. Most will have to shut down on the deadline date.
“The implementation is insufficient,” says attorney Josh Colton of the Komorn Law firm. “Patients need safe access to their medicine. Extending the deadline from June to September was for this purpose. To all of a sudden shut this down is going to leave quite a few people scrambling.”
“Even though I think [MMLB] are doing everything they possibly can, even if they are successful in getting 20 more facilities licensed, it is simply not enough to take care of the patient base,” says Colton.
“I have many cannabis business clients looking for answers” said attorneyMichael Komorn who has experience and is recognized as an expert in Michigan Medical Marijuana laws.
Sept 15, 2018 – The Michigan Cannabis Business Licensing Deadline
The Medical Marihuana Licensing Board’s September 15th deadline for unlicensed provisioning centers to shut down is approaching fast. Originally the deadline was June 15, 2018, but the state licensing office moved it due to an apparent backlog in processing applications
Only about 16 licenses out of a reported 637 applications have been approved.
There are approximately over 200 provisioning centers operating temporarily under state emergency rules. Most will have to shut down on the deadline date.
There are licenses that have been approved which include cannabis businesses in each of the five classes of operation in the state regulatory system. Even if there are more licenses approved at a meeting scheduled Sept. 10 meeting, it might only be a few.
“The implementation is insufficient,” says attorney Josh Colton of the Komorn Law firm. “Patients need safe access to their medicine. Extending the deadline from June to September was for this purpose. To all of a sudden shut this down is going to leave quite a few people scrambling.”
There are approximately 300,000 Michigan medical marijuana patients. The licensing bureau has calculated that two-thirds of the patients live within 30 miles or so of a county where one of the licensed provisioning centers is located.
“Even though I think [MMLB] are doing everything they possibly can, even if they are successful in getting 20 more facilities licensed, it is simply not enough to take care of the patient base,” says Colton.
“I have many cannabis business clients looking for answers” said attorneyMichael Komorn who has experience and is recognized as an expert in Michigan Medical Marijuana laws.
LARA-MMFLA Update-Per Rule 40, Section 2(a) of the Emergency Rules, a licensed provisioning center may sell or transfer marihuana product to a visiting qualifying patient if all of the following are met:
Update-The licensee verifies that the visiting qualifying patient has a valid unexpired medical marihuana registry card or its equivalent issued in another state, district, territory, commonwealth, or insular possession of the United States that allows the medical use of marihuana.
The licensee confirms that the visiting qualifying patient presented his or her valid driver license or government-issued identification card that bears a photographic image of the visiting qualifying patient.
All provisioning centers within the State of Michigan that are currently operating temporarily with local approval are advised that no patient identification (ID) cards are being issued by the state of Ohio’s Medical Marijuana Control Program (MMCP) at this time. LARA-BMMR has been informed that the State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy will not be issuing valid Ohio patient registry cards until September 2018. Any patient ID card presented from the state of Ohio to a provisioning center in Michigan before September 2018 is considered invalid and constitutes a violation of Rule 40 Section 2(a) of the MMFLA Emergency Rules.
Based on the available data, the following states are currently issuing medical marihuana cards
or registration certifications to patients:
• Alaska
• Arizona
• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• Florida
• Hawaii
• Illinois
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Minnesota
• Montana
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• New York
• Ohio#
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• Vermont
• Washington
• Washington DC
• West Virginia*
# Has a medical marijuana program, but will not issue patient ID cards until September 2018.
* Has a medical marijuana program, but will not issue patient ID cards until July 1, 2019.
In Michigan a Marihuana Grower is licensed to cultivate, dry, trim, or cure and package marihuana for sale to a processor or provisioning center. A Grower cannot be a registered primary caregiver.
The 3 levels of a Growers’ license is based on the amount of marihuana product grown.
Class A – 500 plants
Class B – 1,000 plants
Class C – 1,500 plants
Marihuana Grower License Requirements
Applicant, and each investor in the grower, must not have an interest in a secure transporter or safety compliance facility.
Must employ an individual with a minimum of 2 years’ experience as a caregiver (This restriction ends after December 31, 2021)
The licensee must not be an active caregiver and must not employ an active caregiver.
Cultivation must occur in industrial or agricultural zoned areas, or in unzoned areas that meet local ordinance requirements.
How is your plant count determined as it affects your growing limits as a Class A, B, C Grower Licenses?
The MMFLA defines a plant as any living organism that produces its own food through photosynthesis and has observable root formation or is in growth material.
A licensee’s plant limit is based on the type of license issued. Any plant that meets this definition is counted toward the licensee’s plant count.
Can I hold a CPL license and a medical marihuana facility license?
There are no restrictions in the MMFLA that prevent a CPL holder from obtaining a medical marihuana facility license.
The hazards that may be present in the marihuana industry highlight the need for careful attention to safety and health at all facets of the businesses.
Not all items listed in this guide may be present at a medical marijuana facility. Conversely, there may be additional ones not listed on this guide that may be present. This guide is intended to provide a starting point for the identification and control of occupational safety and health hazards in this evolving industry.
Identifying and controlling workplace risk begins with an effective Safety and Health Management System.
Some Potential Safety and Health Hazards
Carbon dioxide used to enrich growing environment.
Chemicals used as plant nutrients.
Chemicals used to clean and sanitize equipment.
Chemicals used to extract essential oils from plant materials.
Dusts from growing or processing environments.
Noise from growing and processing equipment, i.e. generators or processing machinery.
