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Law360 (March 16, 2020, 8:03 PM EDT) -- In tandem with a statewide emergency effort to stem the spread of COVID-19, Michigan's marijuana regulator announced Monday that it would begin allowing medical and adult-use cannabis distributors to offer home delivery services and, temporarily, drive-through sales.
The Michigan Marijuana Regulatory Agency said that it must ultimately approve all delivery methods used by cannabis retailers in advance and said it expected to be able to approve proposed delivery plans within one to two days. In the meantime, the agency will temporarily permit delivery to customers and patients whose current addresses may not match those on their state-issued identifications and also allow dispensaries to do curbside deals with their clientele.
"Customers may remain in their parked vehicle, in the parking lot of a licensed provisioning center or adult-use retailer," the MRA advised in its bulletin. "Customers may complete an order including payment for their product via the internet or they may place their order once parked at the facility."
The dispensary salesperson is still required to validate the customer's information and record all transaction data required by the state, the MRA said.
Dispensaries' proposed home delivery plans must match guidelines promulgated by the state in November, which include necessary steps such as verifying the customer's identity and maintaining robust records of inventory, sales and delivery routes.
The announcement comes roughly one week after Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency. On Monday, the governor announced that bars and restaurants in the Wolverine State must stop all dine-in services until March 30.
As of Sunday, there were 53 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Michigan.
Courts across the country have taken measures to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. In the Eastern District of Michigan, the court began prohibiting people who have visited China, South Korea, Italy and Iran in the last two weeks from entering any district courthouse until further notice.
The district is also prohibiting those who have had close contact with someone who has visited those four countries, have recently traveled to U.S. areas with widespread community transmission of COVID-19, have been asked to self-quarantine, and have been diagnosed with the virus or who exhibit the symptoms of the virus.
On Monday, Washington state's liquor and marijuana regulator similarly announced it was considering ways to help cannabis retailers continue selling while their premises were closed due to COVID-19, such as tweaking regulations to allow for curbside service.
--Additional reporting by Sarah Jarvis. Editing by Jay Jackson Jr.
Update: This story has been updated with an announcement from Washington state.
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