Cannabis Regulatory Agency

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NOTE: After the publication of this post, Michigan’s Cannabis Regulatory Agency announced that it will have a second public hearing and comment period before finalizing its draft rules and sending them to the Legislature for review. CRA has not yet announced a date for the hearing. Given that CRA’s request for rulemaking was approved more than three years ago, and that there are just seven months until the next Michigan Governor takes office, it’s reasonable to question whether the currently proposed revisions will ever take effect.

It’s hard to believe, but it’s been nearly three years since the Michigan Cannabis Regulatory Agency announced that it was seeking stakeholder feedback on proposed changes to its administrative rule sets. The process started in May 2023, with CRA releasing a list of topics and proposed changes to the rules that it was considering. After receiving and considering a substantial amount of comments and stakeholder feedback, CRA then proceeded to undertake a comprehensive rewriting of its administrative rules.

Continue Reading “Final” Draft CRA Rules Are Published

At 3:00 a.m. on October 3, 2025, Michigan’s Legislature passed a 24% wholesale tax on legal marijuana sales, without hearing a single second of testimony and just eight days after the bill’s language was made public (the tax is the subject of multiple other posts here on the Cannabis Law Blog). Unless blocked by the courts or repealed, the tax will take effect on January 1, 2026.

Continue Reading Michigan Cannabis Tax Passes: Numbers

Takeaways

  • CRA’s new disciplinary guidelines reduce fines for about two-thirds of violations, with many cut by 50%.
  • The changes come in response to sustained industry pushback amid ongoing economic struggles in Michigan’s cannabis market.
  • While most fines decreased, penalties have increased for egregious violations like selling illicit cannabis, signaling a shift in enforcement priorities.

During last week’s CRA quarterly public hearing, Executive Director Brian Hanna indicated that the agency would be releasing updated disciplinary guidelines that would reflect a change in agency policy to reduce fines in response to significant industry pushback and criticism. On July 1, 2025, CRA released its updated disciplinary guidelines, which generally provide for reductions in fines for about two-thirds of violations. Most of these reductions are substantial—often amounting to a 50% decrease.

Continue Reading CRA’s July 2025 Updated Disciplinary Guidelines: A Much-Needed Lifeline

Takeaways

  • The proposed 32% wholesale tax on cannabis products could significantly raise prices for consumers, making it more challenging for an already struggling industry to maintain profitability.
  • The assessment of a wholesale tax would most likely radically restructure industry business practices.
  • Potential expansion of the Tobacco Products Tax Act (“TPTA”) would force the Marijuana industry to adapt to an entirely new regulatory and enforcement scheme, all while the industry is dealing with a comprehensive rewrite of the rules of the Cannabis Regulatory Agency.

On February 10, 2025, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer released her “Mi Road Ahead” Plan to “fix the damn roads”—echoing her 2018 campaign slogan. To the consternation and fear of the cannabis community, the Mi Road Ahead Plan proposes creating a new 32% wholesale tax on cannabis products.

Continue Reading Breaking Down Governor Whitmer’s Game-Changing Proposed New Wholesale Tax on the Michigan Marijuana Industry