Michigan’s Marijuana Regulatory Agency is removing a requirement that businesses must hold a medical cannabis business license to apply for an adult-use permit, meaning that entrepreneurs can apply for standalone adult-use cannabis licenses starting Nov. 1, according to a Benzinga report.
The Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marihuana Act of 2018, which legalized adult-use cannabis in the state, included provisions that barred non-medical cannabis license holders from entering the adult-use market until 2021, Benzinga reported, in an effort to give a competitive advantage to the operators who had developed the state’s medical cannabis industry.
The legislation offered the Marijuana Regulatory Agency the option to remove these provisions after one year, and Andrew Brisbo, the agency’s executive director, told Benzinga that industry stakeholders and regulators have decided to open the market up to non-medical cannabis licensees in an effort to address social equity issues and promote the creation of equity programs.
