Michigan expects draft recreational marijuana rules by June

The state’s Bureau of Marijuana Regulation plans to have draft rules ready by June for the commercial production and sale of recreational marijuana.

The issuance of those emergency administrative rules, however, might not occur until later in the year when the department can begin accepting applications for the recreational industry, bureau Director Andrew Brisbo told lawmakers Wednesday.

Under the recreational marijuana law approved by voters in November, the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs has until Dec. 6, 2019, to develop administrative rules and begin taking applications. Should the department issue emergency rules earlier, it also could begin taking applications earlier.

“We can be prepared to do that. Whether we will or not depends on a lot of different factors,” Brisbo told reporters after testifying before the House Oversight Committee.

Short-term emergency rules, such as those put in place when medical marijuana licensing began, are a necessary stopgap to ensure the department meets its December deadline while working its way through the longer permanent rule-making process. [Read more at The Detroit News]