Jacob Bell
New Member
Michigan- The Jackson City Affairs Committee is trying to come to grips with how to regulate medical marijuana facilities.
The City Council adopted a six-month moratorium on new medical marijuana facilities that runs through Aug. 24, and one of the reasons was to give council members time to determine how they can operate.
At a committee meeting this morning, Councilman John Polaczyk said he understands medical marijuana is not for recreational use and that medical marijuana facilities should be regulated more like pharmacies than bars and liquor stores. But Polaczyk said he is still not sure how to do that.
"I need to know what a compassion club is," Polaczyk said.
Grant Bauman, a principal planner with the Region 2 Planning Commission, said a planning and zoning newsletter defined a compassion club as an association of patients and caregivers that provides members with support and/or marijuana.
Bauman said state law does not define compassion clubs, dispensaries and other medical marijuana facilities so cities can adopt their own legal definitions. But since state law allows medical marijuana facilities, the city's definitions cannot be so restrictive that they make it practically impossible for them to exist, Bauman said.
Councilman Daniel Greer, chairman of the committee, said he would like the city to regulate medical marijuana facilities both through licensing, where owners would pay a fee to the city, and zoning.
Greer said he would like to limit the total number of dispensaries to 20, restrict them to certain commercial zones and make sure they are not located within 1,000 or 1,500 feet of churches, schools and other dispensaries. Greer also said he thinks compassion clubs should be for members to get support, not marijuana.
Greer asked committee members Polaczyk and Robert Howe to consider what kind of regulation they think would be appropriate so they can discuss it at their next meeting.
News Hawk- Jacob Husky 420 MAGAZINE
Source: mlive.com
Author: Keith Roberts
Contact: Contact Us
Copyright: Michigan Live LLC
Website: Jackson city officials still hazy about how to regulate medical marijuana facilities
The City Council adopted a six-month moratorium on new medical marijuana facilities that runs through Aug. 24, and one of the reasons was to give council members time to determine how they can operate.
At a committee meeting this morning, Councilman John Polaczyk said he understands medical marijuana is not for recreational use and that medical marijuana facilities should be regulated more like pharmacies than bars and liquor stores. But Polaczyk said he is still not sure how to do that.
"I need to know what a compassion club is," Polaczyk said.
Grant Bauman, a principal planner with the Region 2 Planning Commission, said a planning and zoning newsletter defined a compassion club as an association of patients and caregivers that provides members with support and/or marijuana.
Bauman said state law does not define compassion clubs, dispensaries and other medical marijuana facilities so cities can adopt their own legal definitions. But since state law allows medical marijuana facilities, the city's definitions cannot be so restrictive that they make it practically impossible for them to exist, Bauman said.
Councilman Daniel Greer, chairman of the committee, said he would like the city to regulate medical marijuana facilities both through licensing, where owners would pay a fee to the city, and zoning.
Greer said he would like to limit the total number of dispensaries to 20, restrict them to certain commercial zones and make sure they are not located within 1,000 or 1,500 feet of churches, schools and other dispensaries. Greer also said he thinks compassion clubs should be for members to get support, not marijuana.
Greer asked committee members Polaczyk and Robert Howe to consider what kind of regulation they think would be appropriate so they can discuss it at their next meeting.
News Hawk- Jacob Husky 420 MAGAZINE
Source: mlive.com
Author: Keith Roberts
Contact: Contact Us
Copyright: Michigan Live LLC
Website: Jackson city officials still hazy about how to regulate medical marijuana facilities
