Michigan Cannabis Regulator Plans Crackdown on Illicit Products

Michigan’s top cannabis regulator said Tuesday the state plans to “expose” companies operating in the legal marijuana market that engaged in illegal practices and sold illegal products. rice field.

of detroit news report “The agency is planning actions that will expose the bad guys and serve as a warning to other regulated businesses,” Brian Hannah, deputy director of the Michigan Cannabis Regulatory Agency, told the assembled media. Told.

“If anyone is doing something shoddy or cheating, we want to expose it and take a strong crackdown,” Hannah told reporters. As quoted by detroit news.

The publication notes that some of the issues the regulator is trying to address are “proper tagging and registration of marijuana products in the statewide system, and proper maintenance of the required cameras. These requirements are If abandoned, it would allow illegal weed infestation in a regulated area, angering the facility and the state’s efforts to identify it.”

Hannah, who took over as acting director of the agency in September after Andrew Brisbo stepped down in August, told reporters “In his first 90 days as acting director, his focus will be on engaging stakeholders to better understand and cultivate what’s working and what’s not working in the industry,” he said Tuesday. It’s about policing illegal cannabis products on the market, including marijuana, which is processed in other states.” according to detroit news. He also Said “The ministry has hired six new regulators, two inspectors, two analysts and a testing expert, and plans to conduct more unannounced inspections as it emerges from the pandemic. We are reviewing the ministry’s current operating procedures at this time, and have withdrawn many of our field staff.”

Michigan voters legalized recreational cannabis use in 2018 when they approved a ballot measure. Adult marijuana sales began in late 2019.

Earlier this year, the state merged the regulatory bodies that oversee the processing and distribution of cannabis, resulting in the creation of the new Cannabis Regulatory Agency.

Prior to the restructuring, hemp was regulated by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD), while the Marijuana Regulatory Agency dealt with cannabis.

The Cannabis Control Agency now oversees both.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said when announcing the changes in February, “We will grow the economy and create jobs by consolidating multiple government functions into the newly named Cannabis Control Agency. I can keep doing it,” he said. “And, frankly, legal cannabis entrepreneurship, farming, and consumption will help diversify the enormous tax revenues from this new industry into bigger, bolder projects for local schools, roads, and first responders. By directing our investments, we help put Michigan residents first.”

Earlier this month, the Cannabis Control Agency Issued on the 30th A Detroit marijuana retailer “performed an unannounced compliance visit at a licensed provisioning center and identified multiple bags, backpacks, and bags suspected of being marijuana products without a tracking identification number assigned by a statewide surveillance system. and after observing the duffel bag (METRC) is attached.

After advising retailers “do not sell or destroy untagged products until investigations are I inquired about a marijuana product that was not “destroyed”.

“The Cannabis Regulatory Agency has a legal responsibility to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public,” said agency spokesman David Hearns. “Our licensees must comply with all rules and laws governing the cannabis industry. Untagged marijuana products and failure to provide video footage is completely unacceptable.”