Last night, The governor of Michigan issued a law that makes it possible for people with cannabis-related felonies or misdemeanor convictions on their record can no longer be disqualified from obtaining a medicinal cannabis business license.
There’s an exemption for those who were convicted of distributing cannabis to a minor. Aside from this, the legislation is meant to diffuse a more significant problem voiced by advocates of cannabis reform. It is a fact proven in countless studies that people of color are more likely to have been targets of cannabis criminalization in the past. The limitations on cooperation in the cannabis industry were viewed as prejudicial and disgusting.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) endorsed HB 4295. Aside from eliminating the cannabis licensing ban, the measure, sponsored by Rep. Julie Alexander (R), also designates that elected officials and employees of federally recognized Native American tribes can obtain a state medicinal cannabis license.
Moreover, lawmakers may no longer judge an applicant’s uprightness, moral quality, reputation, or personal fidelity in deciding eligibility for licensure for medicinal cannabis under the newly enacted law. These limitations have only referred to medical cannabis operators; the state’s adult-use enterprise does not contain any type of prohibitions.
The law also defines that the spouses of those who’ve applied for cannabis operating licenses are eligible to get accredited as well, unless the position held by the spouse creates a conflict of interest, as outlined within the Cannabis Regulatory Agency (MRA), or a state or federal regulatory body making decisions regarding medical cannabis,
The law is already in effect.
Sen. Jeff Irwin (D-MI) registered a similar bill earlier in the Summer, but the bill died in the water. Sen. Irwin also introduced a bill in September to legalize the possession and cultivation of specific psychedelics. Also, in the Land of the Great Lakes, legislators passed a series of explicit bills to enact limitations on medicinal cannabis cultivation by caregivers. The psychedelics reform has also been gaining an immense amount of traction in the state. Earlier this week, Detroit citizens approved a measure initiative to decriminalize several psychedelic plants and fungi.
Earlier this summer, the Grant Rapids City Commission ratified a resolution requesting the decriminalization of an extensive range of psychedelics like psilocybin and ayahuasca. Despite this, the measure drops low of what activists had anticipated, in that it doesn’t actually change any city of Michigan’s enforcement manners and simply denotes support for prospective ‘shroom reform.’ You heard it here first, folks: Shroom Reform is the advocation for the decriminalization and legalization of entheogenic, psychedelic plants and fungi. We’re coining that right here.
Also, in Michigan, the Ann Arbor City Council has already chosen to implement laws prohibiting psychedelics like psilocybin, ayahuasca, and the almighty DMT, among the city’s lowest concerns. Lawmakers followed up by declaring the month of September as ‘Entheogenic Plants and Fungi Awareness Month.’ We like ‘September is Shroom Awareness Month’ better. After Ann Arbor legislators voted on a decriminalization resolution back in 2020, the Washtenaw County prosecutor declared that their office will not be seeking charges over possessing entheogenic psychedelic plants and fungi, ‘regardless of the amount.’
Summarily, the state of cannabis in Michigan is getting even better. Last year, Michigan made headlines thanks to the success of recreational cannabis retail sales. The state has quickly become a hub for recreational cannabis tourists. The Land of 10,000 Lakes brought in nearly $100 million in recreational cannabis sales in a single quarter last year. It makes sense why lawmakers in Michigan own up to their mistakes while attempting to improve the social equity of the market. We will also keep you updated on ‘Shroom reform.’