Lansing, Mich. – Lansing City Council Member Carol Wood has been working on ten drafts of an ordinance to regulate medical marijuana dispensaries since late last year. She and the Public Safety Committee have finally agreed on a set of rules.
“We’ve been very open about listening to the public and their concerns,” Wood said. “We made revisions based on some of those concerns. Are we going to make everyone happy? No. But do I believe we’ve got a workable ordinance.” The ordinance says no dispensaries can be within 500 feet of a school, daycare, church, park, or substance abuse clinic.
“We’ve heard over and over again that people are upset that they’re close to schools, close to churches, close to playgrounds, and so we have to make sure that we have some type of protection,” Wood said.
Smoking or using marijuana at a dispensaries is also prohibited, so lounges will not be allowed to operate.
The ordinance also offers protection for patients and requires all dispensaries to test their products for mold and pesticides and to check the marijuana’s strength. “This is the importance of having these licensing requirements,” Wood said.
Lansing City Attorney Jim Smiertka says he thinks this ordinance, unlike the one Council passed in 2011, will stand up to current state law. “We have looked at all the cases, and we have looked at all the concerns, and we’ve done our best job trying to put together an ordinance,” Smiertka said. “Now if another theory comes up in the future, who knows, but we’ve done a legitimate job in putting the best product forward.”
Only licensed caregivers will be allowed to sell marijuana to their registered patients. Wood says it will cost about $3,000 to apply for a license and $1,500 to buy a license each year.
Now, the ordinance will go to the planning commission. There will be a couple of public hearings and several months of meetings, but Wood says she hopes the new ordinance will be on the books by mid-November.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Lansing Finalizes Draft Ordinance To Regulate Medical Marijuana Dispensaries
Author: Faith Miller
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