GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — You can legally possess and use recreational marijuana starting Dec. 6, but buying it legally will still be impossible.
Recreational marijuana businesses aren't expected to open until the year 2020, according to officials at the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. David Harns, a LARA spokesman, told 24 Hour News 8 that the application process for prospective marijuana businesses isn't ready yet.
"There is a lot of discussions that need to take place regarding how the industry will be regulated, regarding the rule set that would need to be promulgated," Harns explained over the phone Wednesday.
"The Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs will be the department that will promulgate the rules, that will decide how these licenses are awarded and how the process works and the application itself has to be designed," he continued.
Harns said that officials are on track to have applications ready by the state deadline: Dec. 6, 2019.
He said that there is "always a chance" that the applications will be ready and released before the deadline.
"We're not going to delay. If we have everything done early, we would obviously move forward with it," he said.