Michigan raids lead to closure of 8 medical marijuana dispensaries

A whopping eight medical cannabis dispensaries were raided and forced to close in northern Michigan.

All eight were located in Grand Traverse County and were raided by the Traverse City Police, Traverse Narcotics Team and Michigan State Police, UpNorthLive.com reported.

The raids were executed simultaneously after a monthlong investigation involving undercover officers who bought MMJ at the dispensaries despite not having “a patient-caregiver relationship,” Traverse City Police Chief Jeff O’Brien told the news outlet.

Though no arrests were made, law enforcement agents seized cash, MMJ, cannabis plants, edibles and wax.

The county prosecutor’s office may still file criminal charges over the raids, since dispensaries are technically still illegal under state law, which allows only for an MMJ caregiver system.

Michigan lawmakers last year finally approved a statewide regulatory system for MMJ businesses, but it has yet to be implemented, leaving existing dispensaries and other cannabis companies at the mercy of local authorities until a state-level permitting system is established.

Dispensaries specifically may be allowed to continue operating uninterrupted if one of two bills aiming to streamline the transition to a regulated market is passed by state lawmakers.