Medical marijuana patient Craig Stokes, left, and employee Jacob Samways discuss products at Exclusive Ann Arbor Provisioning, a local cannabis shop. Exclusive Ann Arbor is one of the first shops in Michigan licensed to make recreational marijuana sales starting Dec. 1. Vardan Sargsyan | Washtenaw Voice
By Lilly Kujawski
Editor
With more than a year since Michigan voters passed the proposal to legalize recreational marijuana statewide, consumers can expect to see it commercially available soon.
The recreational marijuana law assigned responsibility for licensing, regulation and enforcement to the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, or LARA.
The first recreational marijuana sales were allowed this past Sunday, Dec. 1, according to David Harns, communications manager for LARA.
Recreational marijuana, or “adult-use marijuana,” is regulated similarly to alcohol. The law requires users to be at 21 years or older to purchase, consume and possess cannabis.
A few companies will be eligible to sell recreational cannabis commercially starting Dec. 1, but Harns anticipates a slow build of availability throughout the rest of the year and early 2020, as more companies become licensed.
A “vast majority” of the companies that have applied for licenses are from Ann Arbor, Harns said. The review time varies, depending on what kind of license a company applies for, but by law, a decision must be made about an applicant within 90 days.
WCC remains drug-free
Even though adult-use marijuana is legal in the state, cannabis use and possession is still prohibited on WCC’s campus, even for those with a medical marijuana license.
Using marijuana on campus can result in disciplinary action, up to and including expulsion, said Linda Blakey, vice president of student and academic services.
Blakey added that any drug use is prohibited at WCC, which receives federal funding. To qualify for this funding, tobacco and drug use must be banned on campus.
Medical concerns to consider
Marijuana users should also keep in mind that the effects of the drug are still being studied.
Smoking marijuana does have medical risks, such as lung injury, lung cancer and heart disease, said Dr. Brad Uren in an email correspondence. Uren is an assistant professor of emergency medicine at Michigan Medicine, the University of Michigan’s health system.
Cannabis products can also contain varying levels of THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. High levels of THC can be responsible for “acute intoxication” in novice cannabis users, Uren said.
Cases of cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, a cyclic vomiting condition that can occur from marijuana use, have been reported more frequently in states that have liberalized marijuana laws, Uren said. The condition doesn’t occur for every marijuana user, but for those who do develop it, abstinence from marijuana use is the only way to get rid of symptoms, he said.
Uren also warned users to be wary of the quality of the marijuana they consume and to only purchase it from reputable sources.
Uren said that Michigan Medicine does see emergency visits for “acute intoxication” from marijuana regularly, though it’s not particularly common.
Marijuana-related emergency visits in Ann Arbor occasionally spike in correlation with the “Hash Bash” annual cannabis festival.
