Michigan orders closure of 210 marijuana shops

LANSING — Michigan has ordered the closure of 210 dispensaries and other medical marijuana businesses that failed to apply for a state license by a mid-February deadline.

The state Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs disclosed the figure last month, two weeks after it began issuing cease-and-desist letters.

More than 150 of the shops are in Detroit.

Michigan is in the process of licensing marijuana businesses under a law enacted in 2016.

Emergency rules issued in December allow businesses to stay open while seeking a license if they have the approval of their local community.

But if they have not applied as of Feb. 15 or their municipality has not approved an ordinance, they must close.