Kalamazoo, MI – Though the ink has dried on three marijuana bills signed by the Governor, city attorney Robinson said dispensaries in Kalamazoo will be created slowly.
Last month, Gov. Rick Snyder signed bills legalizing and regulating medical marijuana edibles and dispensaries. Robinson said he has received several communications from residents asking what the city’s course of action would be after the bills were signed.
“With the departments of public safety and planning and community development, and probably the city clerk’s office, (I will be) working through this legislation to bring something back to this commission,” he said.
Robinson said the “lengthy” bills will require some study. In conversations with other municipal attorneys, he said there have been some areas identified where additional legislation might be needed to clear up inconsistencies or questions that have arisen.
The bills also open a several questions about how the dispensaries will be zoned and how the state interacts with Kalamazoo’s City Charter, which places restrictions on the centers which dispense medicinal cannabis.
In order to operate the five types of medical marijuana facilities, Robinson said local applications must go before a state licensing board, which will not hear applications until 360 days after the bills are in effect.
Robinson said the city won’t be taking applications for dispensaries until there is a clear system in place.
Kalamazoo resident Jevin Weyenberg spoke to the commission in support of the bills during its public comment period. He urged the city to move as fast as possible to provide sick residents with access to medicinal marijuana.
Weyenberg said he is a patient at the West Michigan Cancer Center, one of many who is being left without a way to address the loss of appetite and pain associated with cancer.
“The sickest in your community are asking your social workers where to get medicine,” he said. “The laws allow the communities to pass ordinances to license these businesses. We have nothing now. The corner of Lake Street and Mills is the quickest way to get marijuana in the city of Kalamazoo.”
A trio of bills to legalize and regulate dispensaries and legalize edibles cleared in the State Senate before passing in the House of Representatives. Here are the bills Snyder signed, which take effect 90 days after being signed on Sept. 20:
- House Bill 4209, now Public Act 281, creates the Medical Marijuana Facilities Licensing Act to license and regulate the growth, processing, transport and provisioning of medical marijuana. The House approved it 83-22.
- House Bill 4210, now Public Act 282, amends the voter-initiated Michigan Medical Marijuana Act to allow for the manufacture and use of marijuana-infused products by qualified patients. The House approved it 93-12.
- House Bill 4827, now Public Act 283, creates the Marijuana Tracking Act and a seed-to-sale tracking system to track all medical marijuana. The House approved it 85-20.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker
Full Article: New Marijuana Bills Won’t Mean Immediate Dispensaries, City Attorney Says
Author: Malachi Barrett
Contact: MLive
Photo Credit: Brennan Linsley
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