Even though Michigan voters approved a medical marijuana law that took effect in 2008, the law needs some clarification.
Gary Heinlein of the Detroit News writes that the state House Judiciary Committee launched a new effort to legalize dispensaries and edible forms of cannabis for medical marijuana patients Tuesday by sending three new bills to the full House.
He goes on to write:
The bills, containing tighter rules than in failed 2014 proposals and an 8-percent excise tax on gross retail income of provisioning centers, is a compromise plan designed to overcome law enforcement opposition.
A voter-approved medical marijuana law that took effect in 2008 doesn’t specifically mention dispensaries or edible marijuana products, whose legality has been clouded by Michigan Supreme Court and appeals court rulings in recent years. Lawmakers are trying to pass legislation that clarifies the law.
Rep. Mike Callton, who negotiated the compromises, called his main legislation “a bill we all can live with.” Callton, R-Nashville, told the committee the 8 percent tax and a mandatory system for tracking all forms of pot — from production to consumption — are key new provisions.
