Medical marijuana shops won’t get licenses in time for state deadline

MICHIGAN —  Next month some medical marijuana patients in Michigan may be caught in the lurch of regulatory chaos.

It’s anticipated that many medical marijuana businesses in the state will have to shut their doors Sept. 15, as state officials impose a deadline for businesses to have new licenses issued under the state’s program.

“You’re running a whole set of very serious risks if you operate after Sept. 15,” said Bob Hendricks, a marijuana business lawyer in Grand Rapids. “Risk of prosecution; risk of not getting a license at all ever.”

Hefty applications and heavy scrutiny from an appointed board has slowed the launch of the program — and regulators admit they won’t be able to license all of the businesses that have applied by Sept. 15.

“The problem here lies with the state. The state’s got to get going,” Gardner said. “The state is the gatekeeper to all of this. The application process is absurd.”

The state’s slow launch of the medical marijuana industry in Michigan is now playing out alongside a campaign to legalize recreational marijuana use in the state. Voters will decide that issue at the polls Nov. 6.

Read more at Michigan Live