Patient numbers increased 20% in 2016; caregivers were up 11% and the program made $4.5 million
by Rick Thompson/February 14, 2017
LANSING- In December the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) released their required annual report on the Michigan Medical Marihuana Program (MMP).
The latest numbers show 131,287 medical marijuana patient cards issued in just 2016, which represents only one year of the two-year registration program. The LARA report states the total number of medical marijuana patients enrolled in Michigan’s program is up to 218,556- a 20% increase over the two-year total reported in 2015 of 182,081 patients.
2016 saw an 11% increase in the number of caregivers registered. 38,107 caregivers are now registered to grow medicinal cannabis for their patients in Michigan, up from 34,269 in 2015.
The program has always been a money-maker for the state. LARA took in registration fees totaling $9,841,058.49 from cannabis patients and caregivers in FY 2016 alone. The Department also spent $5,293,599.99 administering the Act, a profit of over $4.5 million.
Wayne, Oakland, Macomb and Genesee Counties contain the most registered patients, in that order. Washtenaw, Kent and Ingham Counties all report over 8,000 patients each. Caregiver registrations followed the same pattern of popularity among counties.
There are only 12 named medical illnesses in the MMP; the majority of persons are registered as a result of other illnesses or injuries, the symptoms of which are described by physicians through a set of general ailments established in the 2008 MMP law. Cancer was the number one named medical condition cited in the new report, with more than 8,000 physician certifications for cancer in the medical marijuana program (3.81% of total). PTSD was the second-most frequently named medical condition approved for use of medical marijuana. Most Michigan physicians legally certify their patients by citing the general ailments of severe and chronic pain, severe and chronic muscle cramps, and severe nausea.
Click below to look at the full report.
I wish being a 50yr old grandma who smokes cannabis and has my card, that I could go to a dispensary here in Grand Rapids?? Where are they?