Where can people buy medical marijuana in Lansing? Rule change will let some shops reopen
Sarah LehrLANSING — Recently shuttered medical marijuana dispensaries will be allowed to temporarily reopen, following yet another change to state rules.
The rule change will give a reprieve to seven dispensaries in Lansing, according to a list provided by the Lansing City Clerk's office.
At the start of this year, the state moved to shutdown more than 70 medical marijuana businesses across Michigan because those establishments were still waiting to see whether their state licenses would be approved.
But, many of those places, classified as "temporary operating facilities," could soon be back in business.
A resolution, approved Wednesday by the state's the Medical Marihuana Licensing Board, extends the shutdown deadline for medical marijuana businesses with pending state applications from Dec. 31 until March 31.
To qualify, medical marijuana establishments need to have applied for a state license prior to Feb. 15 of last year.
More than 60 businesses could be eligible reopen across the state, Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs spokesman David Harns said. Most of those businesses are the dispensaries that sell the drug to patients, although the resolution also applies to other commercial facilities, such as marijuana growers.
State relaxes standards for dispensary products
Stricter standards went into effect Jan. 1 for marijuana sold at dispensaries, but the newly approved resolution rolls back some of those requirements at least until April. State officials cited a need to address a shortage of medical marijuana products.
“It is important that we ensure that patients have access to their medicine while the medical marijuana industry continues to develop," Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a statement. Whitmer, a Democrat, took office Jan. 1.
The stricter Jan. 1 standards required dispensaries to sell drugs obtained only from commercial establishments that were fully licensed from the state. Following Wednesday's rule change, dispensaries will once again be allowed to sell product obtained from temporary operating medical marijuana facilities.
Dispensaries also will be allowed to get the drug from caregivers, people with state approval to grow marijuana at home for up to five patients.
The state's new rules were welcome news to Robin Schneider, executive director of the recently formed Michigan Cannabis Industry Association. Schneider pushed back against the suggestion that the more lax product standards could present safety problems.
"We're not seeing people hospitalized left and right from caregiver products," Schneider said, noting that Michigan patients have been getting cannabis from licensed caregivers since 2009.
It would be a greater safety concern to cut off patient access to medical marijuana, and these new rules will help alleviate product shortage, she said.
"It's much safer for people to acquire their medicine this way than to meet someone in a parking lot," Schneider said. "There are going to be growing pains in an industry that's going from completely unregulated to regulated."
Number of dispensaries in Lansing could go from zero to nine
As of Wednesday, zero dispensaries, also known as provisioning centers, were open in Lansing.
Only two medical marijuana dispensaries have both state and local licenses to do business in Lansing. That means those businesses would not have been targeted by the state's previous Dec. 31 shutdown deadline.
But, both of those businesses — HG Lansing on East Oakland Avenue and Cannaisseur on North East Street — recently closed their door because they had trouble buying enough state-licensed product to sell to patients. Cannaisseur could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
The relaxed rules will allow HG to reopen its doors, hopefully before the end of the week, Thomas James, the dispensary's owner, said.
"We kind of think it’s a victory for patient access," James said.
The facility plans to sell both state-licensed marijuana and less expensive marijuana from caregivers, James said. He anticipates that cost disparity will shrink as the state approves more grower licenses, thereby increasing supply.
State-licensed marijuana undergoes more stringent testing and costs dispensaries roughly $4,000 per pound — nearly twice what dispensaries pay for marijuana from caregivers, James said.
“We’re going to be very selective with the caregivers we work with to ensure patient safety," James said.
The state is making dispensaries get signed waivers from patients who buy the less regulated marijuana.
"Provisioning centers and applicant facilities will likely sell product that has not been tested in full compliance with state standards," Andrew Brisbo, director of Michigan's Bureau of Medical Marihuana Regulation, said in a statement. "Patients should consider the potential risks these untested products may present. Patients and caregivers may test marijuana products at state-licensed safety compliance facilities."
Dispensaries must notify the state within one business day if a customer has an adverse reaction to medical marijuana.
Earlier this month, regulators announced a recall of marijuana products sold at more than a dozen dispensaries across the state.
Where can I buy medical marijuana in Greater Lansing?
If dispensaries reopen in Lansing, the city will once again be the only community in Ingham, Eaton or Clinton counties with legally operating medical marijuana shops.
East Lansing has an ordinance that allows for dispensaries within city limits, but the city has so far granted zero local licenses to provisioning centers.
Seven businesses have applied to open dispensaries in East Lansing, the city's Planning & Zoning Administrator David Haywood said.
List: Lansing dispensaries get a reprieve
The following Lansing dispensaries applied for a state license before Feb. 15, 2018 and will be allowed to stay open through March 31 as temporary operating facilities.
CORNERSTONE WELLNESS, 3316 S MARTIN LUTHER KING JR BLVD
EDGEWOOD WELLNESS LLC, 134 E EDGEWOOD BLVD
OLD 27 WELLNESS, 2905 N EAST ST
HQ3 ENTERPRISES, 5815 S PENNSYLVANIA AVE
SUPERIOR WELLNESS, 2617 E MICHIGAN AVE
SUPERIOR WELLNESS II, 2829 S MARTIN LUTHER KING JR BLVD
STATESIDE WELLNESS, 1900 E KALAMAZOO ST
Source: Lansing City Clerk
More:
Marijuana recall: 119 customers can get vouchers or exchanges, dispensary manager says
More than 60 closed Michigan medical marijuana dispensaries may reopen
Contact Sarah Lehr at (517) 377-1056 or slehr@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahGLehr.