MICHIGAN—Cannabis is a big deal in Michigan—and there’s never a shortage of newsworthy headlines from the industry as the state inches closer to becoming the nation’s weed capital.
Here are seven things you need to know this week:
NEW RULES: State regulators are reportedly rolling out plans to ban a potentially harmful ingredient that’s found in vaping products known as medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil. The oil is derived from coconut or palm trees and is used to dilute cannabis oil. But inhaling its vapors has the potential to cause respiratory problems, like shortness of breath and lung inflammation.
BILLBOARD BLUES: Industry leaders are up in arms after city officials in Detroit reportedly voiced plans to ban or restrict weed-related billboard advertising in the city—namely because some local residents (and at least one member of the City Council) are tired of looking at them.
OUT WITH THE OLD: Two Michigan lawmakers—state Reps. Graham Filler (R-St. Johns) and Jimmie Wilson Jr. (D-Ypsilanti)—are teaming up to reform the state’s marijuana laws, namely by merging regulations for recreational and medical weed into a single system.
House Bills 5884 and 5885 are designed to simplify state laws and eliminate the need for companies to receive separate licenses in order to market products for both the recreational and medical markets. The legislation would not make any changes to the established system for medical marijuana patients and caregivers, lawmakers said in a statement announcing the bills.
“This is about making Michigan an attractive and stable place for marijuana businesses to thrive,” Wilson said. “A single, cohesive regulatory framework will support our growing economy, ensure the safety and quality of marijuana products, and maintain access for medical marijuana patients. This is a forward-thinking approach that positions Michigan as a leader in the industry.”
BUSINESS BOOM: Eaton County’s first recreational pot shop—Harbor Farmz Provisioning Center—is reportedly seeing strong sales in its first two weeks since opening, with several thousand customers coming through its door since it opened on Lansing Road on June 10.
BARGAIN BUDS: Pincanna’s giant new superstore north of Bay City is reportedly selling bags of weed at a fraction of the cost of its other retail locations, namely to entice new customers.
TESTING RETURNS: Even though weed is legal, Michigan employers are now reportedly using a new breathalyzer machine to detect recent marijuana use—distinginguing it from other tests that, until this point, could only detect cannabis use over an extended period of time.
WHEELS OF JUSTICE: Fourteen employees of 305 Farms are suing the West Michigan company in federal court, alleging that it failed to pay them thousands of dollars in wages and took money for benefits they never received, according to recent reports from MLive.
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