Michigan Medical marijuana licensing board disbands

A chapter in Michigan’s medical marijuana history came to a close Thursday in Lansing, as the licensing board appointed by former Gov. Rick Snyder met for the last time.

As of 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, April 30, an executive order from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will take effect — transferring the licensing power directly to staff in the Marijuana Regulatory Agency, the new name for the Bureau of Marijuana Regulation.

In its nearly two-year tenure, the Medical Marihuana Licensing Board reviewed hundreds of business applicants and approved more than 140 licenses.

Board member Don Bailey wished licensed businesses in the audience at the meeting Thursday “good luck.”

“I believe, based on 36 years in law enforcement, that you are going to need it,” Bailey said. “The black market has expanded exponentially, and it’s not going to contract on its own.”

Licensed businesses are going to face a “huge problem” competing against black market operators, who are going unchallenged by local police and local prosecutors, Bailey said.

In an editorial published in Bridge Magazine, Bailey said Whitmer’s decision to end the licensing board is her way of paying back the marijuana lobby.