State officials are reminding marijuana retailers to alert authorities if customers buy or possess twice the legal amount.
Cannabis retailers in Michigan say they are struggling to understand new guidelines from state regulators that call on them to report customers who buy or possess illegal amounts of marijuana, even though the same rules do not prohibit stores from completing the sale.
Cannabis Regulatory Agency (CRA) released notice dated Nov. 3 reminding licensed businesses of their obligation to report theft, sabotage or other criminal activity “within 24 hours of discovery.” The newsletter specifically mentioned customers who have “more than twice the legal amount of marijuana” under Michigan law.
“It makes no sense at all,” said the manager of the Upper Peninsula dispensary, who asked not to be named. “They’re basically saying if a customer wants more than their daily limit, we have to call them and let them know. You can legally sell it, but then you have to report it to them.”
By law, individuals may purchase or carry up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis (or 15 grams of concentrate). Exceeding that amount is a civil offense, but carrying more than twice the limit can result in misdemeanors.
Some dispensaries handle this by splitting large purchases into two separate transactions, a common solution that is still technically legal. “You’re not going to stay in business long if you start calling the police on your customers,” said John Frazier, a Lansing attorney who advises marijuana businesses.
CRA spokesman David Harnes declined to clarify to MLive how stores should handle customers who leave and return for additional purchases.
Retailers also questioned how to define “criminal activity” in the hemp industry in light of the federal ban on marijuana. “Each of the clients is doing criminal activity if you start looking at federal law,” Frazier said.
Recent cases of enforcement appear to have prompted the CRA’s renewed warning. Earlier this year, a Battle Creek dispensary was cited after police caught an Iowa-bound truck carrying eight pounds of marijuana backing into the store. Another store, Muha Meds in Ypsilanti, allegedly sold hundreds of grams of the concentrate in separate transactions.
“It’s one of those things that’s worth repeating,” Frazier said. “When people start being reckless with big sales, the CRA wants to remind everyone that they’re still watching.”
RELATED CONTENT: Celebrate Black Hemp Week with the Diaspora Alliance for Hemp Opportunities
