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Michigan Senators Weigh Marijuana Regulatory Reform Bills To Aid Industry Reeling From New Tax Increase

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4 months ago

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“Our members are calling on this commission to help our industry create market stability and advance thoughtful and collaborative industry planning.”

By Kyle Davidson, Michigan Advance

Almost two weeks after Michigan lawmakers took office Legislation that imposes a 24 percent tax on wholesale marijuanaMembers of the Senate Regulatory Affairs Committee heard testimony on several bills that committee chairman Jeremy Moss (D-Southfield) said were aimed at reducing the regulatory burden on the cannabis industry.

Two bills were considered Wednesday, one limiting the number of licenses for marijuana dealers and supply centers, and another aimed at cracking down on the sale of unregulated intoxicating hemp products, though Moss indicated there would be additional meetings on the bills in the future.

Sen. Sam Singh (D-East Lansing) unveiled the first package, the Senate Bills 597 and 598Starting Jan. 1, 2026, it would limit marijuana dealer licenses and wholesale licenses per 10,000 residents in a municipality, similar to how the state regulates liquor sales.

Singh said communities with a population of less than 10,000 would always have at least one license.

In addition, current license holders can renew their licenses or transfer them to another person.

Second set, Senate bills 599–602It would create a regulatory framework for consumer hemp products in Michigan, Sen. Dayna Polehanki (D-Livonia) explained, citing that intoxicating products made from hemp, including Delta-8 and other synthetic cannabinoids, are being sold at Michigan gas stations, convenience stores and online without oversight or testing.

Both proposals received support from the Cannabis Regulatory Agency, which regulates Michigan’s adult cannabis industry, as well as support from several members of the state’s cannabis industry.

Derek Sova, the agency’s policy and legislative specialist, said one of the agency’s challenges is marijuana versus hemp, when debating whether a substance is intoxicating or not.

Hemp is commonly understood to be either a crop or a tissue, Sova explained, with both Michigan and the federal government’s definitions of hemp and marijuana allowing the unregulated sale of products containing high amounts of THC, the marijuana component primarily responsible for its intoxicating effect.

“Because of the way it’s defined, they’re considered hemp, and because of that, they’re not age-appropriate. There’s no testing requirement, like there is in Michigan with marijuana products. There’s no labeling restrictions,” Sova said.

In addition to establishing a regulatory framework for non-toxic consumable hemp products, such as CBD-infused gummies and intoxicating hemp products, Sova said the bill package would regulate the sale of non-consumable hemp, which is used to make textiles and building materials.

“Right now, under the current law, you have to get a license to do that, a license to sell that. We don’t think that should be regulated,” Sova said.

Robin Schneider, executive director of the Michigan Cannabis Industry Association, offered support for limiting licenses for marijuana suppliers and retailers, saying unlimited marijuana cultivation licenses have led to oversupply, lowered wholesale prices and harmed businesses throughout the supply chain.

Additionally, the proliferation of retail space has led to public nuisance concerns, traffic problems and community complaints, Schneider said.

“Our members are calling on this committee to help our industry create market stability and thoughtful, collaborative industry planning to make business decisions based on projections that at least include predictability,” Schneider said.

The association also supported the regulation of intoxicating hemp products, noting that these products are being shipped out of state to Michigan and are not being produced by Michigan hemp farmers.

“Not only have our hemp farmers been left out and harmed in many ways, current legislation does not allow them to manufacture hemp products for CBD-only consumption in Michigan,” Schneider said.

Kyleigh Cumming, lab director at Kairos Labs, a cannabis testing lab, told committee members that the 2018 farm bill defining hemp created a loophole that allowed CBD to be converted into THC-like compounds.

“These conversion processes create many dangerous and unknown byproducts along the way, while allowing the resulting products to be labeled as hemp-derived and sold in Michigan as an unregulated intoxicant,” Cumming said.

In a study of 15 vape products purchased in various southeast Michigan communities, Cumming said the products had no lab test results or traceability, and when purchasing the products, no one asked for ID to verify age. When the products were tested, the lab found 15 contaminants, and all 15 samples detected the THC levels of 0.3 percent set by the federal government.

While offering support for additional regulations on hemp products, City of Detroit cannabis director Kimberly James called for more teeth in the bill to allow local governments to take action when intoxicating hemp products are sold in unlicensed locations.

“(The Cannabis Regulatory Agency) does not currently enforce violations of the (Michigan Regulation and Marijuana Tax Act) against non-licensees, and I would not expect them to enforce violations of this act against anyone who is not a licensed consumer hemp processor,” James said. “Local governments should have the authority to stop this practice immediately when the products are in a regular store and explicitly state that they contain THC.”

Polehanki promised to work with James to make sure those changes were made, saying the legislation “isn’t good unless we take these products off the market.”

Blain Becktold, founder of iHemp Michigan, which represents hemp farmers, manufacturers and businesses across the state, said the group’s members supported denying or limiting the sale of products that could be harmful to purchase or consumption, but he refused to define hemp as hemp with less than 0.3 percent THC, pointing to a federal push to increase the 1 percent to 1 percent.

“That’s not to make more toxic products. That’s really for the safety of growers and farmers. If they invest that time, money and effort into farming, and it warms over .3, they’ve lost all of that. 1 percent we wouldn’t have that problem,” Becktold said.

Cassin Coleman of Cannabis Consumer Advocacy also expressed concern about the proposed regulations, noting that limiting THC in non-intoxicating hemp products would limit access to certain products that individuals use for medical purposes.

“As is often the case, the products that patients use consistently, which are CBD products, contain THC,” Coleman said, noting that these products contain THC because they are “full spectrum,” meaning they contain the full range of compounds that occur in the cannabis plant.

Trying to remove or limit the amount of THC in these products would remove other important cannabinoids, plant proteins and antioxidants, Coleman said, warning that these products could be ineffective.

This story was first published by the Michigan Advance.

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US (CO): Denver fines cannabis lounge for licensing violations

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13 hours ago

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February 22, 2026

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Denver has fined Tetra Lounge, one of the city’s only licensed cannabis venues, $10,000. Open since 2018 at 3039 Walnut Street, Tetra has had a complicated relationship with the Denver Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP), formerly known as the Department of…

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Arizona Senators Approve Measures To Criminalize ‘Excessive’ Marijuana Smoke Or Odor

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13 hours ago

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February 22, 2026

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Arizona senators have passed a couple of measures make the act of creating an “excessive” amount of marijuana smoke or odor a criminal nuisance punishable by jail time.even if the person is using cannabis in their own home in compliance with state law.

Despite concerns about weakening the will of voters who voted to approve legalization and concerns about enforceability and ambiguity about what constitutes “excessive” marijuana smoke, members of the Senate Judiciary and Elections Committee on Friday approved the bill and a joint resolution to put the issue on the table by votes of 5-2 and 4-3, respectively.

The legislation by Sen. JD Mesnard (R) was amended during the hearing to provide a clearer definition of “excessive” smoking and remove the reference to making the offense a “felony.” However, some members still argued that the measures lack clarity and will continue to threaten criminalization, making the offense a Class 3 felony, punishable by up to 30 days in jail, a maximum fine of $500 and a year of probation.

The revised definition of excessive cannabis smoke or odor describes “what a person is able to detect on another person’s private property.”

The law states that excessive production of marijuana smoke or odor is “injurious to health, unreasonable, offensive to the senses, and interferes with the comfortable enjoyment of life or property and is a public nuisance.”

Mesnard said he decided to push the issue “based on personal experience” with his neighbors, “as well as hearing from other people that people can do what they want on their private property, but on other people’s private property, their homes no less, that’s when it starts to become another problem.”

“I can say that it was regrettable for me that I didn’t have to have conversations with my four-year-old, maybe because of what’s going on in some houses down in my neighborhood, there was such a strong smell and smoke coming from the road,” he said. “If it’s important to you to play, there are a lot of ways to do it without affecting the neighbors around you, so it’s easy.”

Several citizens testified against the proposals, arguing that the state’s legalization law would unfairly restrict adults’ right to use cannabis and make it difficult to challenge in court allegations of excessive smoke or odor, for example.

The ACLU of Arizona also expressed opposition to the measure, saying a representative said it would “undermine the intent of the voters” and that the issue of smoking and public odor has already been addressed by the courts, stating that “the mere smell of marijuana no longer automatically establishes criminal activity.”

“SCR 1048 and the mirror bill (SB 1725) Relying on subjective assessments like excessive marijuana smell opens up enforcement to the kind of discretionary judgments that research on bias shows leads to disparities and outcomes,” they said. “This leads to equal protection violations and arbitrary enforcement.”

—
It’s Marijuana Time tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelic and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters by pledging at least $25/month, you’ll get access to our interactive maps, charts, and audio calendars so you never miss a development.

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On the back of this law, anti-cannabis activists are working to place an initiative on the state’s November ballot. significantly rolling back the voter-approved marijuana legalization law.

A GOP congressman recently said he would like his state to take such a measure, but he also admitted that. President Donald Trump’s recent federal scheduling order could complicate that prohibitionist push.

Under the proposal, possession would be legal if voters chose to enact the initiative — and Arizona’s medical marijuana program would remain in place — but it would shut down the commercial recreational cannabis market that has evolved since voters approved a measure to legalize adult use in 2020.

According to a section of the latest initiative’s findings, “the proliferation of marijuana establishments and recreational marijuana sales in this state has created unintended consequences and negative consequences for the public health, safety, and welfare of Arizonans, including increased marijuana use among children, environmental concerns, increased demand on water resources, public nuisance, illegal market activity, and market instability.”

“Sales of legal marijuana in Arizona have declined for two years in a row, resulting in less tax revenue for the state, and some patients relying on recreational marijuana use instead of taking advantage of the benefits of the state’s medical marijuana program,” he says.

The initiative would instruct the legislature to make appropriate changes, also by amending the existing statute as it pertains to the commercial industry, including tax and advertising regulations.

To vote, the campaign must collect 255,949 valid signatures by July 2nd. If the proposal goes to the voters and is approved, it would take effect in January 2028.

It remains to be seen whether there will be any desire for repeal among voters, as 60% of voters approved legalization on the ballot in 2020.

Even more last year’s poll found majority support for medical cannabis legalization (86 percent), adult-use legalization (69 percent), and banking reform (78 percent).

Max Jackson’s photo.

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General Assembly advances cannabis retail framework

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2 days ago

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February 21, 2026

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After years of vetoing the General Assembly, legislation to create a legal adult cannabis market in Virginia passed both chambers on Tuesday, this time ready for a governor’s signature and retail sales to begin in November. The votes provide the clearest sign yet that Virginia is ready to move from legal ownership to a fully regulated no-sale market, a transition that has eluded the commonwealth since 2021, when lawmakers legalized simple ownership.

On Tuesday morning, the House passed House Bill 642, Del. Paul Krizek, D-Fairfax, by a vote of 65-32. A few hours later, the Senate passed House Bill 542 by Sen. Lashrecse Aird, R-Petersburg, by a narrow 21-19 margin, after a failed initial vote.

Similar proposals have cleared the General Assembly in recent years—often with bipartisan support—but were repeatedly vetoed by former Gov. Glenn Youngkin. This year, the political calculation has changed. Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger has vowed to sign legislation establishing a regulated retail market.

Under Krizek’s bill, the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority would administer the retail system, with no retail sales permitted before November 1, 2026. “It’s about fixing a situation that isn’t working,” he said, noting that while it is legal for adults to possess cannabis, retail sales remain unregulated.

Read more at Virginia Mercury










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