Gretchen Whitmer, Gov. of Michigan, has vetoed several medical cannabis bills

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called it hasty and recently vetoed 11 bills, including three on medical cannabis, others related to pensions and taxes. However, the governor signed six more bills, which were approved by the legislature.

Michigan Advance reports that in her Dec. 22 veto letter to the Legislature, Whitmer said the bills “have been rushed through a lame duckling session and warrant closer scrutiny.”

Whitmer vetoed some Republican-sponsored medical cannabis bills that would have made some changes to how cannabis is processed and distributed.

Rep. Roger Hauck (R – Union Township) introduced two bills that were vetoed: House Bill 5871, which would have changed state laws to make medical cannabis products easier to access and transfer from one facility to another facilitate. HB 5871 would also prohibit a background check on an applicant’s spouse in certain circumstances.

House Bill 5965, on the other hand, would have updated some of the wording and definitions in the state’s Medical Marijuana Facility Licensing Act, such as: B. the title of the State Cannabis Regulatory Agency (CRA).

Another bill related to medicinal cannabis was defeated. House Bill 5839, introduced by Rep. Pat Outman (R – Six Lakes), would have prevented the CRA from denying a person a license to sell cannabis based on their spouse’s work, even if their spouse works for the state or federal government .

“I look forward to working with the new Legislature in January on priorities that will continue our economic momentum, help reduce costs and expand educational support for Michigan students. It’s time to seriously solve problems and do things that are improving the lives of working families now,” Whitmer wrote in her veto letter last month.

Several other bills have been vetoed, such as HB 4263-4266, which would have required pension systems for public school employees, state employees, judges and state police to pay off debt in equal installments over time.

HB 4188, introduced by Rep. Thomas Albert (R – Lowell), would have amended the state pension law for public school employees. Several other bills were also vetoed.

Michigan’s cannabis industry

The governor doesn’t want rushed bills on her desk. Some of the concern could stem from other nagging issues, though high-volume production is ramping up. Politico, for example, reports that the number of cannabis plants in Michigan is about six times what it was in 2020, leading to serious oversupply.

The price of cannabis in Michigan’s adult market has fallen about 75% over the past two years, from nearly $400 an ounce to less than $100. This price drop prompted some industry representatives to call for a moratorium on cultivation licenses.

MLive reports that 2022, on the other hand, was a good year for customers, who paid significantly lower prices than normal that year.

According to November 2022 figures, the average retail cost of an ounce of cannabis plummeted to a record low of $95, with some strains falling to almost $60 an ounce in retail cannabis stores.

Retail cannabis sales are doing fantastically — on track to surpass $2 billion in annual tax revenue.

Last August, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer replaced outgoing former Cannabis Regulatory Agency Director Andrew Brisbo, who helped launch the state’s adult-use marijuana in December 2019, with Director Brian Hanna.

This year, the Democratic Party controls both the House of Representatives and the Senate in the Michigan Legislature. 2023 is the first year the Democrats will hold the majority since 1984. The Michigan House of Representatives is adjourned until Wednesday, January 11th.