Why many Michigan medical marijuana businesses won’t have to close

DETROIT — The 215 medical marijuana businesses that have been operating under state-approved emergency rules, but which faced a June 15 deadline to get a license or be shut down, got some breathing room Wednesday when the state extended that deadline to Sept. 15.

“It was obvious that the process was moving a little slower than anticipated, so we needed to make sure that the patients had continued access to their medicine,”

Said David Harns, spokesman for the state Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, which governs the regulations surrounding medical marijuana.

The state has been reviewing applications for medical marijuana licenses since it began accepting applications on Dec. 15. But the state has given only preliminary approval, so far, to a handful of businesses, but no licenses. The Michigan Medical Marijuana Licensing Board is expected to consider pre-qualification approvals for 19 applicants on Thursday. But, again, no licenses are expected to be issued until the board’s June 11 meeting.

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