Governor Gretchen Whitmer is eliminating a heavily criticized, state-appointed board in charge of issuing licenses to medical marijuana businesses.

In an executive order Whitmer signed Friday, she put the control of medical marijuana licenses in the hands of staff in a new agency within the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs.

The board has been criticized for its slow pace in reviewing and approving medical marijuana license applications -- especially as licensed provisioning centers have faced a shortage of product to sell from licensed growers in January.

"This executive order will eliminate inefficiencies that have made it difficult to meet the needs of Michigan’s medical marijuana patients,” Whitmer said in a statement. “All elements of this agency have been designed to serve and better protect Michigan residents, and I’m eager to have a unified effort across state departments to make sure this process runs effectively and efficiently. I appreciate the productive input I’ve received on this important issue, including from Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey.”

Whitmer’s move was applauded by the former LARA director, Shelly Edgerton, who departed at the end of 2018.

“The volunteer board took on a monumental lift to get this program going, but in the short time frame the program has been running, we have not seen the expected volume of licensees entering the market,” said Edgerton, now an attorney at Dykema. “With this EO (executive order), the licensing process will be more efficient and allow more applicants into the space. I applaud Governor Whitmer for recognizing the need to expedite the regulated market for patient care and safety.”

Attorney General Dana Nessel also supports Whitmer’s action and issued this statement: "A dedicated state agency that can administer the functions and responsibilities under the medical and recreational (adult-use) marijuana statutes will create numerous efficiencies, including faster processing of marijuana applications, and better serve medical marijuana patients and the developing industry.”

Whitmer’s action appears to override the Medical Marihuana Facilities Licensing Act of 2016, which stipulates that an appointed board be responsible for licensing.

The board, appointed by former Republican Governor Rick Snyder in 2017, contained five members -- three Republicans, two Independents and no Democrats. Its chairman, Republican Rick Johnson, was once the speaker of the Michigan House and spent a decade as a registered lobbyist in Lansing.

Other members include David LaMontaine, a Republican from Monroe who is a board member for the Police Officers’ Association of Michigan; Donald Bailey, a Republican and retired Michigan State Police sergeant; Vivian Pickard, an Independent and CEO of the consulting firm Pickard Group; and Nichole Cover, an Independent pharmacist and chairwoman of the Michigan Board of Pharmacy.

Whitmer’s executive order brings the control of medical marijuana business licenses more in-line with the way adult-use marijuana business licenses will be handled by LARA staff. The Friday order abolishes the Bureau of Marijuana Regulation existing in LARA, and replaces it with a new Marijuana Regulatory Agency.

The board began meeting in June 2017. It approved the first medical marijuana business license in July 2018 -- and since then has approved 121 licenses. Its pace has been slow and decisions at some points seemingly arbitrary, as the board had the ability to deny a license application based on the “integrity and moral character” of the applicant.

Board member Bailey was the most criticized among applicants in the marijuana industry. As a former sergeant with the Michigan State Police, he would routinely bring up information about applicants that wasn’t included in the board’s meeting packets. His hard-line approach towards applicants was regularly questioned by other board members.

Whitmer’s executive order takes effect April 30. There are two more meetings of the Medical Marihuana Licensing Board scheduled before that time.

The March 21 meeting is 10 days before a critical March 31 deadline that about 60 provisioning centers allowed to temporarily operate without a license face to become fully licensed and compliant with state laws. March 31 is also the deadline for licensed provisioning centers to stop selling products grown by caregivers.

-- 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.