Starting November 1, businesses and individuals aspiring a recreational marijuana license in Michigan will no longer need to be a medical marijuana license holder.
In an interview with Crain’s Detroit, the Executive Director of Michigan’s Marijuana Regulatory Agency said that the agency is removing a piece of regulation that requires businesses to be a medical marijuana license holder in order to qualify for an adult-use license.
Removing the Medical License Condition One Year in Advance
In order to give a competitive advantage to operators who had invested millions in developing the state’s medical marijuana industry, the Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marihuana Act of 2018 included a clause that prevented anyone but medical marijuana license holders from entering the recreational market.
The Marihuana Act gave medical marijuana operators a two-year head start and required license aspirants to obtain a medical license before being allowed to apply for a recreational license, until November 2021. However, the legislation gave the agency the chance to remove this clause after one year if they saw fit.
Andrew Brisbo, the agency’s executive director, said stakeholders and the agency have decided to rescind the measure.
