Susan Montgomery
The Oct. 31 deadline for unlicensed marijuana provisioning centers to shut down has been extended. Court of Claims Judge Stephen L. Borello issued a temporary restraining order and an order to show cause on Tuesday against the state of Michigan and the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs.
The deadline was set by the Michigan Medical Marijuana Licensing Board in the emergency rules set on Oct. 1. But Costello found the Oct. 31 deadline "arbitrary and capricious" and ordered a show cause hearing for the state on Nov. 9. Unless the state can successfully argue why those locations need to close now, Dec. 15 — a date the state had previously set — will be the cutoff date.
The Nov. 9 hearing will take place after the Nov. 6 election, when Proposal 1, which would legalize recreational marijuana, will be decided. Polls show overwhelming support for the proposal.
It's possible the next hearing will take place in a very different atmosphere regarding marijuana.
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