Ron Strider
Well-Known Member
Detroit voters on Tuesday supported two ballot proposals that will loosen zoning restrictions and other rules surrounding the city's medical marijuana industry.
The Detroit Medical Marijuana Facilities Ordinance and Detroit Zoning Ordinance passed with 60 percent and 58 percent of voter support, respectively.
Both the Detroit News and Detroit Free Press editorial boards urged "no" votes on the proposals.
The new ordinances are a response to stringent zoning laws and rules passed by Detroit City Council that went into effect March 1, 2016, and led to more than 186 dispensaries being ordered to close.
Prior to passage of the City Council ordinance, nearly 300 dispensaries had proliferated throughout the city and openly operated under lax enforcement.
A 2015 dissection of Detroit dispensaries by Data Driven Detroit, "Weed in the D," found that at the time there were 152 active dispensaries. Fifty-nine Detroit schools were located within 1,000 feet of a dispensary; 16 were located within 1,000 feet of at least two dispensaries.
According to a current map of known dispensaries tracked by Detroit, only nine of the 300-plus that opened were approved for operation under the new rules. Sixty-five more continue to operate while awaiting completion of the certification process and 90 more are not operating while awaiting approval.
The newly passed ordinances remove distance restrictions for dispensaries in proximity to day care centers, liquor stores, parks or arcades; reduces distance restrictions from 1,000 feet to 500 feet in relation to churches or other dispensaries; and extends allowable hours of operation from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. -- they are currently 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
They'll also expand the designated zones a dispensary may exist in.
Both ordinances were voter-led initiatives spurred by Citizens for Sensible Cannabis Reform.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Detroit voters loosen medical marijuana restrictions after crackdown | MLive.com
Author: Gus Burns,
Contact: MLive contacts, services and support | MLive Contacts - MLive.com
Photo Credit: Robert Tong
Website: Michigan Local News, Breaking News, Sports & Weather - MLive.com
The Detroit Medical Marijuana Facilities Ordinance and Detroit Zoning Ordinance passed with 60 percent and 58 percent of voter support, respectively.
Both the Detroit News and Detroit Free Press editorial boards urged "no" votes on the proposals.
The new ordinances are a response to stringent zoning laws and rules passed by Detroit City Council that went into effect March 1, 2016, and led to more than 186 dispensaries being ordered to close.
Prior to passage of the City Council ordinance, nearly 300 dispensaries had proliferated throughout the city and openly operated under lax enforcement.
A 2015 dissection of Detroit dispensaries by Data Driven Detroit, "Weed in the D," found that at the time there were 152 active dispensaries. Fifty-nine Detroit schools were located within 1,000 feet of a dispensary; 16 were located within 1,000 feet of at least two dispensaries.
According to a current map of known dispensaries tracked by Detroit, only nine of the 300-plus that opened were approved for operation under the new rules. Sixty-five more continue to operate while awaiting completion of the certification process and 90 more are not operating while awaiting approval.
The newly passed ordinances remove distance restrictions for dispensaries in proximity to day care centers, liquor stores, parks or arcades; reduces distance restrictions from 1,000 feet to 500 feet in relation to churches or other dispensaries; and extends allowable hours of operation from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. -- they are currently 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
They'll also expand the designated zones a dispensary may exist in.
Both ordinances were voter-led initiatives spurred by Citizens for Sensible Cannabis Reform.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Detroit voters loosen medical marijuana restrictions after crackdown | MLive.com
Author: Gus Burns,
Contact: MLive contacts, services and support | MLive Contacts - MLive.com
Photo Credit: Robert Tong
Website: Michigan Local News, Breaking News, Sports & Weather - MLive.com
