by Rick Thompson/September 1, 2017
LANSING- On May 19 the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) and the Michigan Board of Accountancy released a joint statement regarding the legality of businesses interacting with the companies providing “services provided by licensees to the medical marihuana industry.”
NOTE: the legislature and the state of Michigan have adopted the use of the archaic spelling of the cannabis plant as “marihuana.” The Michigan Supreme Court, newspapers and this publication use the correct modern spelling, “marijuana.” Both versions are used here.
Fear of the Trump administration and Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ attitude toward the use of cannabis was featured in the letter. The letter discusses “the dichotomy between state law and federal law” and offers advice to Michigan businesspersons while “taking into account the uncertainty of a new presidential administration and how it may affect federal marihuana enforcement policies.”
LARA and the Board of Accountancy determined that “a licensee will not face any action by the Department or the Board based solely on the fact that the individual licensee or licensed firm provides professional services to a client engaged in the medical marihuana industry.”
The government agencies were quick to point out that this letter did not make any businesses participating in the medical marijuana marketplace immune from federal prosecution for noncompliance with the Controlled Substances Act. The letter also spells out the need for adherence to the state rules of operation within the MMFLA, the MMMA and the other Acts covering general business operations.
The full text of the letter is available at the government’s website HERE.