Incumbent: Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer
2022 Candidates:
- Gretchen Whitmer (Democrat)
- Tudor Dixon (Republican)
Current Reform Status: Adult-use and medical
What’s at stake?
Michigan’s cannabis market has boomed and quickly matured since adult-use sales launched in December 2019, but small-scales operators began calling for a licensing moratorium in September amidst falling prices in what they call a “race to the bottom.” Such a moratorium would need legislative action and a governor’s signature.
Sitting Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has walked the walk in her support of Michigan’s cannabis industry—from streamlining state oversight to signing restorative justice legislation—while Republican challenger Tudor Dixon voted against cannabis legalization in the November 2018 election, when Michigan voters passed Proposition 1 to legalize adult-use cannabis.
Candidate Policies on Cannabis:
Gretchen Whitmerhas played an active role in Michigan’s cannabis industry since its infancy. In September, Whitmer appointed Brian Hanna as acting executive director for the state’s Cannabis Regulatory Agency (CRA). That move came after Whitmer issued an executive order in February to consolidate cannabis and hemp regulation in the state under one overseeing body, the CRA, which replaced the state’s Marijuana Regulatory Agency.
Relatedly, in December 2020, Whitmer commuted nonviolent cannabis sentences for four Michigan men. In October 2020, she signed “clean slate” legislation into law, expunging criminal records for those convicted of certain cannabis-related offenses. Whitmer also approved of President Biden’s recent federal pardons for those convicted of simple cannabis possession, noting Michigan already has been active in expungement for past cannabis sentences.
“When it comes to marijuana, the people of Michigan have already taken action on this issue at the ballot box in 2008 and again in 2018,” Whitmer’s office said in an Oct. 6 statement, according to Axios’ Samuel J. Robinson. “Earlier in the governor’s term, she signed bipartisan Clean Slate legislation to create a process for people convicted of misdemeanors, including marijuana offenses, to apply for streamlined expungement. This law is one of the most expansive pieces of expungement legislation in the nation. It allows first time marijuana offenses to be expunged manually, and a process for automatic expungement will go into effect next April. We will continue to work with anyone who’s serious about solving problems and keeping our communities safe.”
Tudor Dixonvoted against cannabis legalization in the 2018 election, she told attendees during an Oct. 7 “ask me anything” town hall in Oakland County, Mich., according to a report from Michigan Advance. When asked whether she supported Prop. 1, the measure which legalized adult-use cannabis in Michigan, she asked for clarification on what the proposal concerned before saying, “No, I voted no.”
She also said during the event she’s unsure if she would support President Biden’s pardon of those convicted on federal charges of simple cannabis possession. The Republican candidate said she wasn’t informed enough to have an opinion on the pardons. “You know, I really haven’t gotten into that,” Dixon said. “We’ve been on the trail. I just saw a quick thing on my phone, but I haven’t read the details on it.”
This excerpt was published in CannabisBusinessTimes