Sec. 401.
(1) A person may apply to the marijuana regulatory agency for state operating licenses in the categories of class A, B, or C grower; processor; provisioning center; secure transporter; and safety compliance facility as provided in this act. The application shall be made under oath on a form provided by the marijuana regulatory agency and shall contain information as prescribed by the marijuana regulatory agency, including, but not limited to, all of the following:
(a) The name, business address, business telephone number, Social Security number, and, if applicable, federal tax identification number of the applicant.
(b) The identity of every person having a 2.5% or greater ownership interest in the applicant with respect to which the license is sought. If the disclosed entity is a trust, the application shall disclose the names and addresses of the beneficiaries; if a privately held corporation, the names and addresses of all shareholders, officers, and directors; if a publicly held corporation, the names and addresses of all shareholders holding a direct or indirect interest of greater than 5%, officers, and directors; if a partnership or limited liability partnership, the names and addresses of all partners; if a limited partnership or limited liability limited partnership, the names of all partners, both general and limited; or if a limited liability company, the names and addresses of all members and managers.
(c) An identification of any business that is directly or indirectly involved in the growing, processing, testing, transporting, or sale of marihuana, including, if applicable, the state of incorporation or registration, in which an applicant or, if the applicant is an individual, the applicant's spouse, parent, or child has any equity interest. If an applicant is a corporation, partnership, or other business entity, the applicant shall identify any other corporation, partnership, or other business entity that is directly or indirectly involved in the growing, processing, testing, transporting, or sale of marihuana in which it has any equity interest, including, if applicable, the state of incorporation or registration. An applicant may comply with this subdivision by filing a copy of the applicant's registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission if the registration contains the information required by this subdivision.
(d) Whether an applicant has been indicted for, charged with, arrested for, or convicted of, pled guilty or nolo contendere to, forfeited bail concerning any criminal offense under the laws of any jurisdiction, either felony or controlled-substance-related misdemeanor, not including traffic violations, regardless of whether the offense has been reversed on appeal or otherwise, including the date, the name and location of the court, arresting agency, and prosecuting agency, the case caption, the docket number, the offense, the disposition, and the location and length of incarceration.
(e) Whether an applicant has ever applied for or has been granted any commercial license or certificate issued by a licensing authority in Michigan or any other jurisdiction that has been denied, restricted, suspended, revoked, or not renewed and a statement describing the facts and circumstances concerning the application, denial, restriction, suspension, revocation, or nonrenewal, including the licensing authority, the date each action was taken, and the reason for each action.
(f) Whether an applicant has filed, or been served with, a complaint or other notice filed with any public body, regarding the delinquency in the payment of, or a dispute over the filings concerning the payment of, any tax required under federal, state, or local law, including the amount, type of tax, taxing agency, and time periods involved.
(g) A statement listing the names and titles of all public officials or officers of any unit of government, and the spouses, parents, and children of those public officials or officers, who, directly or indirectly, own any financial interest in, have any beneficial interest in, are the creditors of or hold any debt instrument issued by, or hold or have any interest in any contractual or service relationship with an applicant. As used in this subdivision, public official or officer does not include a person who would have to be listed solely because of his or her state or federal military service.
(h) A description of the type of marihuana facility; anticipated or actual number of employees; and projected or actual gross receipts.
(i) Financial information in the manner and form prescribed by the marijuana regulatory agency.
(j) A paper copy or electronic posting website reference for the ordinance or zoning restriction that the municipality adopted to authorize or restrict operation of 1 or more marihuana facilities in the municipality.
(k) A copy of the notice informing the municipality by registered mail that the applicant has applied for a license under this act. The applicant shall also certify that it has delivered the notice to the municipality or will do so by 10 days after the date the applicant submits the application for a license to the marijuana regulatory agency.
(l) Any other information the department requires by rule.
(2) The marijuana regulatory agency shall use information provided on the application as a basis to conduct a thorough background investigation on the applicant. A false application is cause for the marijuana regulatory agency to deny a license. The marijuana regulatory agency shall not consider an incomplete application but shall, within a reasonable time, return the application to the applicant with notification of the deficiency and instructions for submitting a corrected application. Information the marijuana regulatory agency obtains from the background investigation is exempt from disclosure under the freedom of information act, 1976 PA 442, MCL 15.231 to 15.246.
(3) An applicant must provide written consent to the inspections, examinations, searches, and seizures provided for in section 303(1)(c)(i) to (iv) and to disclosure to the marijuana regulatory agency and its agents of otherwise confidential records, including tax records held by any federal, state, or local agency, or credit bureau or financial institution, while applying for or holding a license. Information the marijuana regulatory agency receives under this subsection is exempt from disclosure under the freedom of information act, 1976 PA 442, MCL 15.231 to 15.246.
(4) An applicant must certify that the applicant does not have an interest in any other state operating license that is prohibited under this act.
(5) A nonrefundable application fee must be paid at the time of filing to defray the costs associated with the background investigation conducted by the marijuana regulatory agency. The marijuana regulatory agency shall set the amount of the application fee for each category and class of license by rule. If the costs of the investigation and processing the application exceed the application fee, the applicant shall pay the additional amount to the marijuana regulatory agency. All information, records, interviews, reports, statements, memoranda, or other data supplied to or used by the marijuana regulatory agency in the course of its review or investigation of an application for a license under this act shall be disclosed only in accordance with this act. The information, records, interviews, reports, statements, memoranda, or other data are not admissible as evidence or discoverable in any action of any kind in any court or before any tribunal, board, agency, or person, except for any action considered necessary by the marijuana regulatory agency.
(6) By 10 days after the date the applicant submits an application to the marijuana regulatory agency, the applicant shall notify the municipality by registered mail that it has applied for a license under this act.
History: 2016, Act 281, Eff. Dec. 20, 2016 ;-- Am. 2018, Act 582, Eff. Jan. 1, 2019 ;-- Am. 2020, Act 207, Imd. Eff. Oct. 15, 2020
Compiler's Notes: Enacting section 2 of Act 281 of 2016 provides:"Enacting section 2. The legislature finds that the necessity for access to safe sources of marihuana for medical use and the immediate need for growers, processors, secure transporters, provisioning centers, and safety compliance facilities to operate under clear requirements establish the need to promulgate emergency rules to preserve the public health, safety, or welfare."For transfer of powers and duties of the medical marihuana licensing board, marihuana advisory panel, and department of licensing and regulatory affairs, including its bureau of marijuana regulation, to the marijuana regulatory agency, and abolishment of the medical marihuana licensing board, marihuana advisory panel, and bureau of marijuana regulation, see ERO No. 2019-2, compiled at MCL 333.27001.