Michigan Should Have No Shortage of Marijuana

Stakeholders in Michigan’s medical marijuana industry appear eager to receive a state license now that the application period is open. Officials with the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs say during the first month over 600 applicants either started the process of filling out paperwork or have already submitted paperwork and fees. The state is requiring licensing for growers, processors, provisioning centers, testing facilities, and transporters. David Harns is spokesperson for the licensing agency. He says so far almost 500 applicants are in some stage of applying for prequalification and nearly 125 have already completed that step. 

“If you don’t have your local facility approved yet, by your municipality, you can check with us and fill out the prequalification portion, pay the application fee and let us do the background check and all of those different things to make sure you’re approved for that part, and then you can go back to the municipality” – David Harns, LARA

Harns says the state license will not be issued until business owners get approval from their local government as well. The process also includes a $6,000 dollar application fee. Harns says applicants face stiff financial commitments

“The application fee is $6000, there is also a regulatory assessment and that is an annual fee. (The category) Grower A, has regulatory assessment that is capped at $10,000 per year. The other license holders could see it between $10,000 and $57,000 per year”  

He says the new protocols are also intended to provide a seamless transition, should Michigan voters decide to legalize recreational marijuana.