LANSING, MI (WTVB) – The State of Michigan is formally petitioning the Michigan Supreme Court to freeze ongoing legal proceedings regarding the state’s controversial new 24-percent wholesale tax on marijuana.
State officials have requested that justices hear their motion to pause the case by May 1st, with the ultimate goal of having their appeal granted and the entire lawsuit dismissed by September 1st. The state’s aggressive timeline seeks to halt lower court actions while the high court determines the underlying legality of the tax.
The legal battle stems from separate lawsuits filed by the Michigan Cannabis Industry Association and the Holistic Research Group, based in Harrison Township.
Plaintiffs argue that the wholesale tax is unconstitutional because it bypassed the strict requirements for altering voter-initiated laws. Under the Michigan Constitution, the citizen-passed Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marihuana Act can only be amended with a three-quarters majority vote in both the state House and Senate, a threshold the industry groups claim was not met when the tax was implemented.
Comments