Michigan: legal cannabis sales will finally begin on December 1

Michigan will have legal cannabis by Christmas. According to a document released yesterday, cannabis stores in Michigan will be able to start selling their products as early as December 1.

The Michigan Marijuana Regulatory Agency has in fact announced that companies already selling medical marijuana will be allowed to transfer up to half of their inventory to the recreational market. These companies must first obtain a state license, which Michigan regulators began issuing in early November.

Michigan voters approved the legalization of the possession, use, and sale of cannabis for recreational purposes in November 2018. Residents aged 21 and older could legally grow up to 12 plants and possess up to 2.5 ounces in public or 10 ounces at home, but no legal distribution system had been established. Michigan had therefore last July, took emergency measures to speed up the process.

However, cannabis sales are not expected to begin on a widespread basis until March 2020, once licensed producers have completed their first harvest.

Recreational cannabis use will be limited to private residences, excluding private vehicles and, therefore, all public places. Plants grown at home must be secured and cannot be visible from the outside.

Commercial marijuana sales in Michigan will be subject to a 10% tax, which is expected to generate approximately $130 million annually, to be used for schools, roads, and local governments.

Michigan already has an advanced medical cannabis system. Forty-one medical cannabis stores have already been approved for adult-use licenses. However, only 22 jurisdictions have so far authorized the establishment of cannabis stores. 1,393 have chosen not to participate.

Sales will not begin on December 1, for example, in Detroit, where slow administrative procedures are holding up the rollout of legalization.