LANSING – Since the Michigan Medical Marijuana Licensing Board was abolished at the end of April, the Marijuana Regulatory Agency has dramatically picked up the pace of reviewing business applications.

In May, the first full month of taking over licensing responsibilities, the MRA reviewed, and either approved, denied or gave preliminary approval to 213 license applications. In contrast, the licensing board, which was abolished earlier this year by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, was considering an average of 95 applications a month.

As the state’s legal marijuana market for adult recreational use starts later this year, quick and efficient licensing will ensure that the market succeeds and thrives, MRA director Andrew Brisbo said Thursday, after the first public meeting of the MRA.

“Having all the key decisions made within one agency positions us to make efficient decisions and to be flexible in this new environment where things are changing rapidly,” he said.

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The board, which only met once a month, came under frequent criticism for its inconsistency and slow pace in considering license applications. The MRA, by contrast, has been able to consider license applications as they come in.

“We don't have that lag time and don’t have to wait for the scheduled board meeting to come up,” Brisbo said. “The staff can just make decisions on the fly.”

The agency is expected to put rules and regulations in place for the recreational market later this month and then begin accepting license applications in the fall. Businesses with medical marijuana licenses will be the first to get recreational licenses for the first two years of the recreational market.

Since beginning to award licenses for medical marijuana businesses last year, 202 businesses have gotten a license, serving the 287,094 cardholders in the state.

The recreational market is expected to far exceed those customer numbers, according to a study by the Brightfield Group, a Chicago-based cannabis research firm, which predicts that Michigan’s sales of marijuana will triple by 2023.

Contact Kathleen Gray: 313-223-4430, kgray99@freepress.com or on Twitter @michpoligal.