Michigan Approves Bill Expanding Access to Medical Cannabis Licenses

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) has signed legislation expanding the number of people eligible for medical cannabis licenses, including those previously barred due to a cannabis-related misdemeanor or felony. The bill includes an exception for individuals convicted of selling cannabis to a minor.

The bill also allows spouses of elected or state-employed individuals to obtain a medical cannabis industry license. The law automatically excludes from license eligibility an applicant who holds certain elective offices (state, local, or federal), is a member of or employed by a governmental regulatory body, employed by the state of Michigan, and spouses of individuals that work for any cannabis regulatory agency.

The bill was introduced by Republican state Rep. Julie Alexander, who said after the Senate passed the bill that previous medical cannabis industry licensing rules unfairly restricted “small-business owners married to government employees, regardless of whether an actual conflict [of interest] exists.”