A series of bills currently under consideration in the Michigan legislature would yield enormous changes to medical cannabis caregivers in the state.
The proposals have touched a nerve with advocates and medical cannabis customers in the Wolverine State, some of whom are reportedly “boycotting the major cannabis producers that back the legislation.”
The upshot of all the bills is that they would significantly limit the amount of marijuana a caregiver can grow, reducing the number of cannabis plants from 72 to 24.
The sponsor of the legislation––filed under House Bills 5300, 5301 and 5302––is Republican state House Rep. Jim Lilly, who contends that the proposals are about ensuring the quality of the product for medical cannabis patients in Michigan.
“Two-thirds of the market right now of cannabis in Michigan is unregulated and so what that means is the majority of that product can be untested,” Lilly said, as quoted by local television station WOOD TV. “So for cancer patients, those with immunocompromised situations, getting access to a safe product is really important. Some of this untested product has been found to contain mold, pesticides, E. coli, salmonella.”
“New York just went through some of this work and they’ve done about 12 plants for six patients, compared to what I’ve proposed at 24, but our current law allows for 72, which for anyone who does any growing or cultivating cannabis knows is far more than six patients can possibly consume,” he added.
But Casey Kornoelje, the founder of Michigan cannabis provisioner Farmhouse Wellness, told the station that the legislation could ultimately reduce the amount he could dispense to his wife, who lives with Crohn’s disease. (Kornoelje serves as his wife’s caregiver,