Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is consolidating the regulatory agencies that oversee medical and recreational marijuana and hemp.
The Marijuana Regulatory Agency, which handles the medical and recreational pot industries, will be renamed the Cannabis Regulatory Agency.
The agency also will regulate the hemp industry, which is currently handled by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
The idea is to create a more efficient and robust regulatory agency to oversee the tax-generating sales of hemp and psychoactive marijuana, Whitmer said.
“Consolidating multiple government functions into the newly named Cannabis Regulatory Agency will help us continue growing our economy and creating jobs,” Whitmer said in a statement. “And to be blunt — safe, legal cannabis entrepreneurship, farming, and consumption helps us put Michiganders first by directing the large windfall of tax revenue from this new industry to make bigger, bolder investments in local schools, roads, and first responders.”
The change, which is part of Whitmer’s first executive order of the year, will take place in 60 days.
In 2021, Michigan collected more than $350 million in new taxes from recreational marijuana sales, according to an estimate by the Marijuana Policy Project.
Under the order, the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs will also be renamed the Michigan Arts and Culture Council.
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