Health warning labels on marijuana products debated in House committee
LANSING, Mich. — A handful of bills debated in Lansing on Tuesday would mandate health warning labels on medicinal and recreational marijuana products as the state continues down the road to a legalized market.
The Republican-backed legislative package, sponsored by Rep. Thomas Albert, R-Lowell, and Rep. Daire Rendon, R-Lake City, seeks to require the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, LARA, to oversee implementation of the labels. The legislation calls for the label to be printed clearly as:
"Warning: Use by pregnant or breastfeeding women, or by women planning to become pregnant, may result in fetal injury, preterm birth, low birth weight, or developmental problems for the child."
Rendon said the warning is important.
“There are so many things that we do not yet know about the long-term effects of marijuana for a woman who is pregnant or nursing; and I suggest that we take extreme caution when selling products that we don’t know the long-term effects about, and include this significant and definitely needed warning,” she said.
Albert argued that because marijuana has since been legalized for recreational use following the 2018 election, the perception of danger is lower.
“I will not argue that a warning label alone will eliminate the usage of addictive products among pregnant and breastfeeding mothers,” he said. “I will say that a warning label has a substantial impact on forming public opinion and changing the decision-making of those that might be on the fence.”
The Michigan Cannabis Industry Association raised concerns about adding additional labels to products that would in turn end with no one reading the labels at all.
“We’re neutral in general. We support the use of warning labels,” said Robin Schneider, executive director of industry association. “What I would really like to see is the poison control number stay on there and the pregnancy warning label included.”
The House Judiciary Committee also took testimony on a bill that would give Michigan Department of Natural Resources officers the authority to patrol state land, such as parks, forests and waterways. Rep. Mike Mueller, R-Linden, backed the bill that gives the same authority to DNR officers and peace officers.
No votes were taken Tuesday and testimony is expected to continue next week.
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