Gov. Snyder Signs Measures Regulating Medical Cannabis Dispensing
LANSING, MI — Michigan Governor Rick Snyder has signed a package of legislation — HB 4209, HB 4210, HB 4827, SB 141, and SB 1014 — into law regulating the retail sale of medical cannabis and cannabis-infused products.
Snyder signed the bills on Wednesday. The measures are ordered to take immediate effect.
“This new law will help Michiganders of all ages and with varying medical conditions access safe products to relieve their suffering,” Snyder said. “We can finally implement a solid framework that gives patients a safe source from which to purchase and utilize medical marijuana.”
The measures seek to clarify and expand various aspects of the state’s medical cannabis law.
Specifically, the measures provide qualified patients for the first time with legal protections for their possession and use of non-smoked cannabis derived topicals and edibles, as well as cannabis-based extract products.
The measures also license and regulate above-ground, safe access facilities where state-qualified patients may legally obtain medical marijuana. Michigan was one of the only medical marijuana states in the country that had yet to regulate the dispensing of medicinal cannabis.
About 210,000 residents are now registered in the state’s medical program.
Other provisions in the bill establish a ‘seed to sale’ tracking system on products provided by dispensaries in order to assure that these products are adequately tested for safety.
Separate provisions in the new law offer localities controls with regard to regulating the location and number of dispensaries, as well as the establishment of state licensing fees and excise taxation levels