Michigan’s marijuana regulatory body is taking too long to crack down on businesses that have violated state regulations, according to a state audit.
The state’s Office of the Auditor General said in the report that the Michigan Cannabis Regulatory Agency (CRA) takes up to two years to enact disciplinary action and needs to speed up its processes, according to The Detroit News.
“Timely action helps CRA mitigate potential risks to Michigan’s cannabis consumers and reduce future licensee violations,” the report contends.
The CRA told the News that the agency has refined the aspects of the complaint process that are within its control.
It also said it prioritizes complaints that impact consumer safety.
The audit evaluated how the Michigan CRA processed 678 complaints between April 1, 2021, and Sept. 30, 2022, and found that the agency took an average of 196 days to discipline businesses involved in 123 complaints.
The longest the CRA took to complete the process was 757 days, according to the report.
Complaints pertained to a wide swath of cannabis industry activities, including production, sales, operations and security. (Full Story)