State marijuana regulators hope to get emergency rules in place for Michigan’s recreational marijuana market this month.
Recreational marijuana use has been legal in Michigan since the passage of last year’s state ballot question. But recreational sales are still in limbo, as the Michigan Marijuana Regulatory Agency works on the rules.
Director Andrew Brisbo hopes to start taking applications for recreational cannabis businesses this fall.
“It’s hard to predict how many applications we’re going to get, how many licenses we’ll issue, and what time frame,” says Brisbo. “So we want to do that in a responsible way. But make sure the program is funded such that we can engage in our regulatory responsibilities in an appropriate way as well.”
Brisbo says sticking points still to be worked out include setting standards for micro businesses, creating a social equity program and setting a reasonable fee structure.
Many of the recreational marijuana licenses are expected to be sought by current medical marijuana businesses.
The state of Michigan has granted 204 operating licenses to provisioning centers, growers and other medical marijuana businesses.
