In a business-buoying flip-flop, Michigan regulators said that existing medical marijuana dispensaries can stay open while seeking a state license as long as they have been operating with the approval of their communities.
State regulators had given dispensaries until Dec. 15 to close or risk being denied a license for defying the command to shut down. But that edict sparked a backlash from patients, shop owners and others.
MMJ dispensaries that have been operating under local ordinances since before Dec. 15 must submit a prequalification application for licensure by Feb. 15 and a document – signed by an authorized clerk – affirming they had government approval to operate.
Businesses that don’t apply for a license must stop operating by Feb. 15. Dispensaries that do apply for a license but are denied one must stop operating by June 15.
State officials expect to begin issuing licenses by April.
– Associated Press
