The federal government is moving to change marijuana’s legal status -- a significant step, but Michigan’s cannabis industry isn’t celebrating yet.

Opioid drug overdose deaths are down in US, study finds, but COVID-19 could change that. DETROIT – McLaren Health Care Corp. has agreed to pay the federal government more than $7.7 million to resolve alleged violations of provisions of the Controlled Substances Act. McLaren said a pharmacist at its Port Huron retail pharmacy was “diverting opioids for his own personal use” and has since been fired. McLaren said it exited the retail pharmacy business in 2018, adding that the move was unrelated to the federal investigation. The health system has more than a dozen hospitals across Michigan.

The House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday approved a bill that would legalize marijuana at the federal level. The bill has a high chance of approval in the full House, where Democrats have control. The proposal would be less likely to pass the Republican-controlled Senate where Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., opposes marijuana legalization. President Donald Trump has expressed that he wants to leave the decision of marijuana legalization up to the states. Two-thirds of Americans support marijuana legalization, according to Pew data released this month.