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Medical Marijuana

State Clarifies “Applicants” for Marijuana Licensure

The Michigan legislature has given further guidance to individuals and businesses interested in obtaining a license for or participating in a new marijuana business. Public Act 3 of 2019, signed into law in April 2019, has clarified the confusion over who is considered an “Applicant” for application disclosure purposes on MMFLA applications submitted after the beginning of 2019.Only “applica

New Steps to Advance FDA’s Evaluation of CBD

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is moving forward with evaluating ways to allow cannabis and cannabis-derived products like cannabidiol (CBD) into foods, beverages, and dietary supplements. A public hearing will be held on May 31, 2019 at its White Oak Campus in Silver Spring, Maryland to discuss ways to bring products containing CBD and other cannabinoids to market. The information gathere

Cannabidiol & Cosmetics – Changing Federal & State Regulations

Based on recent enforcement actions and rule changes at the state and federal levels, the focus on cannabidiol (CBD), the non-psychoactive component of both hemp and marijuana, as an additive to consumer products is on consumable products such as foods, beverages, and dietary supplements rather than topical products such as cosmetics.  The FDA is advising that they may pursue enforcement actions

Governor Moves to Abolish Marihuana Board, Form New Approval Agency

The Bureau of Marihuana Regulation (BMR), including its board that votes on whether to approve licensees under the Marihuana Facilities Licensing Act (MFLA), will be abolished by an executive order Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed March 1. In its place the Marijuana Regulatory Agency will process applications. The executive order will go into effect April 30 so long as the legislature does not move to

What You Need to Know to get Licensed to Operate a Medical Marihuana Business in Michigan

It has been just over one year since the state of Michigan implemented comprehensive medical marihuana regulation. The need for such regulation only increased with November 2018 voter approval of recreational marihuana (cannabis). These two developments have caused a predictable outcome: Many investors, entrepreneurs and marihuana-enthusiasts want to become licensed under the Michigan Marihuana Fa

State Allows Provisioning Center to Reopen, Sell Untested Marijuana

There were four recalls of marijuana in January 2019 while more than 70 unlicensed provisioning centers were permitted to reopen as the state continues to struggle to find a balance of making marijuana available to those with a medical need and to ensure all provisioning centers that dispense such marijuana are licensed – a process that can take up to one year.For now, provisioning centers that

Cannabis Licenses Carry High Capitalization Costs

As has long been suspected, the state announced last week that those seeking licenses from the Michigan Bureau of Medical Marihuana Regulation (BMMR) beginning in December will undergo an evaluation of their capitalization. In other words, the state intends to evaluate an applicant’s ability to operate and maintain a marijuana facility.The advisory from the state comes ahead of the implementatio

Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Can Continue to Operate

After more than two months of mixed signals, current medical marijuana users in Michigan will be relieved to hear that the Michigan Bureau of Medical Marihuana Regulation (BMMR) will not force existing dispensaries to close prior to the implementation of the Medical Marihuana Facilities Licensing Act (MMFLA) next month. The announcement comes after an uproar of complaints from medical marijuana pa

Michigan Medical Marijuana Bureau Offers Wave of New Info on Expected Regulations

The bits and pieces of information medical marijuana advocates and business interests have longed for from the Michigan Bureau of Medical Marijuana Regulation (BMMR) are trickling with increasing frequency. The BMMR, which is implementing the Michigan Medical Marijuana Facilities Licensing Act (MMFLA), announced guidance on a number of fronts for all applicants ahead of December 15th – the date

Kim Sveska Presents: The Opioid Epidemic: What Happens to Health Care Professionals “Breaking Bad”

FBMJ’s attorney, Kim Sveska, was a featured speaker at the Sparrow 4th Annual Pain Symposium on September 28, 2017 at the Eagle Eye Conference Center in Bath, Michigan. Sveska’s presentation titled “The Opioid Epidemic – What Happens to Health Care Professionals ‘Breaking Bad’” discussed the new, aggressive approach that Michigan’s Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LA