Michigan medical marijuana license applicants must wait another month

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Seventeen medical cannabis companies that were supposed to get news on Monday about their state license applications in Michigan will have to wait another month, along with many more that are waiting on a state board to make headway on the permitting process.

Hundreds of companies have applied for medical marijuana business licenses. But state regulators have not issued a single permit, adding to the costs of MMJ companies that must pay for leased facilities, employees and other expenses while they wait to get up and running.

The Michigan Medical Marijuana Licensing Board announced Friday it was canceling its previously scheduled Monday meeting, and the board won’t meet again until July 12, according to the Detroit Free Press.

The board was slated to grant medical marijuana permits to four cultivation operations, a transport company, a dispensary and a processor, and it was also scheduled to consider prequalification for licensure for another 10 businesses.

To date, 212 businesses have applied for licenses, while another 546 have applied for prequalification. The latter are applicants that have not yet obtained either local approval for their business plans or real estate on which to operate.

According to the Free Press, one operator said he may have to lay off 15 employees because he has no revenue coming in while waiting for a state permit.