Michigan regulators warned several dozen medical marijuana dispensaries they would need to shut down at the end of 2018 or risk not receiving permanent licenses.
The subsequent dispensary closures due to that warning are now costing MMJ business owners thousands in lost revenue.
Detroit TV station WXYZ reported that more than 70 dispensaries across the state closed as of Dec. 31.
Here’s what you need to know:
- Some of the businesses that shut down were operating under temporary permits issued at the local level but without permanent state licenses.
- According to Michigan-based cannabis attorney Barton Morris, some of the MMJ dispensaries had pending applications before the marijuana licensing board, and other firms’ applications were denied.
In a related development, MLive.com reported that Michigan officials agreed to adopt the more common spelling of “marijuana” in informal capacities rather than “marihuana,” which they had insisted on using in state documents and even email since 1978.
However, the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs will still use the spelling of “marihuana” in legal documents.
