LARA Recommendation Ensures Safe Medical Marijuana Supply in Michigan

LARA Recommendation Ensures Safe Medical Marijuana Supply in Michigan

Media Contact: LARA Communications 517-335-LARA (5272)

Email: mediainfo@michigan.gov

March 6, 2019 – The Dept. of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) will recommend at the March 21, 2019 meeting of the Medical Marihuana Licensing Board (MMLB) that the board adopt a resolution which will help maintain patient access to medical marijuana by allowing certain licensed facilities to continue to source product from caregivers without it resulting in disciplinary action against their licenses.

“Our ongoing discussions with medical marijuana stakeholders have demonstrated that this is the right thing to do in order to provide for continued patient access while ensuring that only tested products are being distributed,” said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. “This next step in the process is important in order to continue to move the medical marijuana industry forward.”

“Our recommendation requires state testing and the use of secure transport as products are moved through the regulated supply chain,” said Bureau of Marijuana Regulation Director Andrew Brisbo. “It creates a fair and competitive environment for licensed facilities and allows tested caregiver product to help maintain a sufficient supply until the licensed growers are fully online.”

LARA recommends that the MMLB adopt a resolution that makes it clear that – beginning April 1, 2019, after the provisions of the last MMLB resolution end on March 31, 2019 – disciplinary action will not be taken against a licensed grower or processor that purchases caregiver products. The resolution should require growers and processors to immediately add the caregiver product to the statewide monitoring system and test the product in full before moving it through the regulated system.

The resolution should also provide for the continuation of this allowance until ended by LARA at a future date when the regulated supply is deemed sufficient to meet demand. LARA will track production data against sales data in the statewide monitoring system to determine when the supply is adequate.

According to LARA’s previous recommendation and the MMLB’s January 16, 2019 resolution, temporary operation for applicant facilities – and those denied applicants currently in the appeals process – will end March 31, 2019. Cease and desist letters will be served to non-compliant facilities in early April.