Marijuana in Michigan

James Daly is eager to make marijuana history on Sunday, when he plans to open the doors to Arbors Wellness, beckon the lengthy line outside and legally start selling recreational pot for the first time in the Midwest.

Marijuana sold in stores would have to have labels warning pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers about the health risks for their fetuses and children under legislation passed Tuesday by the Michigan House.

Legislation approved by the state House Judiciary Committee this week would slap warning labels on marijuana products warning against use by women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. 

The state of Michigan has created rules so there are testing standards for the first crop of industrial hemp.

Michigan regulators announced Thursday a cut in marijuana licensing fees for prospective business owners living in 19 cities whose residents were disproportionately impacted by the drug war.

Requirements for businesses that plan to sell marijuana to adults 21 and older are expected to be clearer under emergency rules released by the agency that regulates the selling and growing of pot in Michigan.

The City of Lansing has finished the first phase of the review and appeal process for medical marijuana provisioning centers approving 20 for operation and denying 65 others. 

Lansing City Clerk Chris Swope said it was a long and painstaking process. 

“We learned a lot so we’re hoping to do it better with phase two with the next five licenses,” said Swope. 

While deciding which applications to approve and which to deny, Swope said he focused on the economic costs and benefits to the city.

Farmers in Indiana and Michigan are preparing to start growing hemp as a legal agricultural commodity following the declassification of industrial hemp as a narcotic with the passage of the federal Farm Bill in 2018.

Attorneys general from 33 states on Wednesday urged Congress to approve a proposal intended to fully open the doors of the U.S. banking system to the legal marijuana industry.