Just 10 days before the state plans to crack down on unlicensed medical marijuana shops, a state board approved a flurry of provisioning centers.

There are now 72 licensed medical marijuana provisioning centers, and about 50 unlicensed shops will face cease-and-desist letters from state officials after March 31, said David Harns, spokesman for the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. They’ve been allowed to temporarily operate without a license for the past year, selling untested weed grown by caregivers to patients.

The Thursday meeting of the Medical Marihuana Licensing Board is its second-to-last gathering before it disbands due to an executive order from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The governor decided to reorganize the oversight for medical marijuana business licensing, shifting the responsibility to staff and eliminating a board appointed by former Governor Rick Snyder.

The legislature still has the opportunity to reject Whitmer’s executive order.

Thursday, the board went about its business as usual, handling a hefty agenda of 96 business prequalifications and 29 license applications.

The board also approved allowing untested caregiver medical marijuana to be sold to provisioning centers, despite a plan to end that practice March 31. State regulators have allowed untested caregiver marijuana to fuel the entire medical marijuana industry for months, even as new regulations and taxes have been added. The practice was expected to end, however there is still not enough medical marijuana from licensed growers to meet patient demand, according to regulators.

Whitmer had previously signed off on the resolution when it was proposed earlier this month.

Board member Don Bailey voted against the resolution, stating it went against the intent of the law. Board chairman Rick Johnson said he agreed with Bailey, but voted for the resolution because it would ensure patients continued to have access to their medicine.

After March 31, licensed provisioning centers can sell untested caregiver product until they run out -- but they cannot purchase additional medical marijuana from caregivers, according to the resolution.

However, state-licensed growers and processors can still buy medical marijuana from caregivers without fear of retribution from the state -- as long as they have it tested, enter it into the state’s tracking database and use secure transporters. That will be allowed to continue until state regulators determine it’s no longer needed.

Andrew Brisbo, director of the Bureau of Marijuana Regulation, said he would be continually monitoring sales information in the state tracking system to determine when there is enough medical marijuana grown by licensed businesses to meet patient demand.

-- Amy Biolchini is the marijuana beat reporter for MLive. Contact her with questions, tips or comments at abiolch1@mlive.com. Read more from MLive about medical marijuana.