Ron Strider
Well-Known Member
Medical marijuana dispensaries would be allowed to stay open while the state decides who will get a license for the lucrative cannabis business, under a pair of bills introduced this week in the state Legislature.
Sen. David Knezek, D-Dearborn Heights, and Rep. Yousef Rabhi, D-Ann Arbor, will introduce the bills in the Senate and House this week to counteract an advisory by the state to dispensaries that they should close before Dec. 15 or risk their chances at getting a license.
"It became very apparent that this was never the intention of the Legislature and we need to do something to ensure that people have safe and accessible medicine," Knezek said. "We don't want to force patients back to the underground, where products can be dangerous."
Applications for the five categories of licenses - growers, processors, testers, dispensaries and transporters - will be available from the state on Dec. 15. And the Michigan Medical Marijuana Licensing Board will begin giving out licenses during the first quarter of 2018. To start with a fresh slate, the state Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs advised the dispensaries operating in Michigan - several hundred, including more than 70 in Detroit - to close by Dec. 15.
If they didn't, LARA said, the dispensaries, which have been permitted by the communities where they operate, could risk being shut down by law enforcement for operating without a state license or jeopardize their chances to get a license from the state.
Some dispensaries have already voluntarily shut down and others plan to by Dec. 15, leaving their customers, who carry medical marijuana cards to treat a variety of ailments, without a source for the product.
The advisory by LARA cause an uproar at the last Licensing Board meeting, where dozens of medical marijuana patients, caregivers and dispensary owners blasted the decision.
LARA spokesman David Harns said the department is in the process of reviewing the legislation and declined to comment on what impact it might have.
At a press conference Wednesday, Knezek and Rabhi were joined by medical marijuana patients, some whose only access to medical marijuana is from a dispensary.
Justin Nichols, an Army veteran from Plymouth, said he is both a medical marijuana cardholder and caregiver and visits dispensaries in Detroit to get his medicinal weed for pain, PTSD and anxiety. While he has access to his own marijuana, he also uses the dispensaries.
"And I think about the veterans who are alone, who could be using dispensaries," he said. "I can only imagine how frustrating it would be to be in a state where you have access and then it's ripped away after changing your life in a positive way."
Knezek said he's hopeful the bills will get a quick hearing and vote.
"We're still working with all the stakeholders to make sure everyone has the ability to voice their opinions and concerns," he said.
The bill would allow dispensaries that are still operating on Dec. 15 to put in an application for a medical marijuana license and stay open until the board decides one way or the other.
"If they decide your application is denied, you'll have to shut down," Knezek said. "We're not going to get involved in that decision."
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Michigan lawmakers want reprieve for medical marijuana dispensaries
Author: Kathleen Gray
Contact: Contact Us | Detroit Free Press
Photo Credit: Spencer Weiner
Website: Detroit Free Press - Breaking news, sports, business, entertainment
Sen. David Knezek, D-Dearborn Heights, and Rep. Yousef Rabhi, D-Ann Arbor, will introduce the bills in the Senate and House this week to counteract an advisory by the state to dispensaries that they should close before Dec. 15 or risk their chances at getting a license.
"It became very apparent that this was never the intention of the Legislature and we need to do something to ensure that people have safe and accessible medicine," Knezek said. "We don't want to force patients back to the underground, where products can be dangerous."
Applications for the five categories of licenses - growers, processors, testers, dispensaries and transporters - will be available from the state on Dec. 15. And the Michigan Medical Marijuana Licensing Board will begin giving out licenses during the first quarter of 2018. To start with a fresh slate, the state Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs advised the dispensaries operating in Michigan - several hundred, including more than 70 in Detroit - to close by Dec. 15.
If they didn't, LARA said, the dispensaries, which have been permitted by the communities where they operate, could risk being shut down by law enforcement for operating without a state license or jeopardize their chances to get a license from the state.
Some dispensaries have already voluntarily shut down and others plan to by Dec. 15, leaving their customers, who carry medical marijuana cards to treat a variety of ailments, without a source for the product.
The advisory by LARA cause an uproar at the last Licensing Board meeting, where dozens of medical marijuana patients, caregivers and dispensary owners blasted the decision.
LARA spokesman David Harns said the department is in the process of reviewing the legislation and declined to comment on what impact it might have.
At a press conference Wednesday, Knezek and Rabhi were joined by medical marijuana patients, some whose only access to medical marijuana is from a dispensary.
Justin Nichols, an Army veteran from Plymouth, said he is both a medical marijuana cardholder and caregiver and visits dispensaries in Detroit to get his medicinal weed for pain, PTSD and anxiety. While he has access to his own marijuana, he also uses the dispensaries.
"And I think about the veterans who are alone, who could be using dispensaries," he said. "I can only imagine how frustrating it would be to be in a state where you have access and then it's ripped away after changing your life in a positive way."
Knezek said he's hopeful the bills will get a quick hearing and vote.
"We're still working with all the stakeholders to make sure everyone has the ability to voice their opinions and concerns," he said.
The bill would allow dispensaries that are still operating on Dec. 15 to put in an application for a medical marijuana license and stay open until the board decides one way or the other.
"If they decide your application is denied, you'll have to shut down," Knezek said. "We're not going to get involved in that decision."
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Michigan lawmakers want reprieve for medical marijuana dispensaries
Author: Kathleen Gray
Contact: Contact Us | Detroit Free Press
Photo Credit: Spencer Weiner
Website: Detroit Free Press - Breaking news, sports, business, entertainment