by Rick Thompson/October 20, 2017
LANSING- Michigan’s Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) has issued a press release dated today, October 20th. It announces the release of a pre-qualification checklist for applicants to the new Medical Marihuana Facilities Licensing Act (MMFLA) program.
The program will begin accepting applications on December 15th, 2017, for businesses in five regulated industries: cultivation, transportation, processing, testing and retail of medicinal cannabis. The MMFLA and LARA will begin licensing businesses in 2018, which will replace the current robust and unregulated medical cannabis production and distribution system statewide. Michigan’s Medical Marihuana Act was enacted by initiative in 2008 and currently has more than 260,000 patients registered with the state.
The application process has been divided into two steps: pre-qualification and license qualification. Pre-qualification can be viewed as a verification of the human element in the medical marijuana business license application, and includes criminal and financial background checks, data on all interested parties and investigatory documents. License qualification is a reflection of the physical element of the application including local approval for the business, proper insurance and other compliance issues.
From the press release:
The checklist is for advisory purposes only and is subject to change. On December 15, 2017, LARA will begin accepting online or paper form applications, utilizing a two-step application process for medical marihuana facility licensing:
Step 1. Pre-Qualification
During pre-qualification, applicants and affiliates will be fingerprinted and will undergo a full background investigation. Pre-qualification will also require the following forms and documents:
- Completed application and fees
- Government-issued ID copy for all persons with ownership interest
- Three notarized attestations
- Entity information including bylaws, articles of incorporation and other forms
- Ownership interest disclosures
- Financial forms including debt, bankruptcy, tax compliance, tax returns and CPA-attested active bank/financial statements
- Regulation documents
- Criminal history disclosure
- Litigation disclosure
Step 2.License Qualification
License qualification will require the following forms and documents:
- Municipality’s authorizing ordinance/resolution and approval notice
- Business specifications, including security, technology, marketing, deed or lease agreement, and more
- Proof of financial responsibility via an insurance policy, bond, or security
- Employee staffing plan (number of employees, training/hiring info, and more)
- Acknowledgement and consent to investigations, statute & rule compliance
The purpose of this checklist is to provide information to the public and potential medical marihuana facility licensees as to the types of documentation that may be needed for the application process.
The checklist itself is more comprehensive than this brief description provided by LARA. The original document is available for download or printing and can be found online HERE.