The Wayland City Council is looking for ways to benefit from the booming medical marijuana industry.
At their regular meeting on Oct. 17, council members discussed recent changes to Michigan law, which will take effect Dec. 20.
They include:
- House Bill 4209, now Public Act 281, which creates the Medical Marihuana Facilities Licensing Act to license and regulate the growth, processing, transport and provisioning of medical marijuana.
- House Bill 4210, now Public Act 282, which amends the voter-initiated Michigan Medical Marihuana Act to allow for the manufacture and use of marijuana-infused products by qualified patients.
- House Bill 4827, now Public Act 283, which creates the Marihuana Tracking Act and a seed-to-sale tracking system to track all medical marijuana.
Under the new regulation, municipalities have the choice of whether or not to "opt in" regarding allowing medical marijuana dispensaries, provisioning centers, and related businesses.
The Wayland Planning Commission discussed the new laws on Oct. 11 and recommended the city take a wait-and-see approach, evaluating community opinions and the effects in other communities before allowing such enterprises.
"There is some interest, but nobody wants to be a test case," said Wayland City manager Tim McLean.
Mayor Tim Bala cited concerns about potential legal fees. "Why should we be the guinea pigs and pay all the money out?" he asked.
"Somebody has to be," replied council member Tracy Bivins.
Several council members said they wanted to be more proactive on the issue. Rick Mathis said the city should take advantage of the burgeoning business, which he said is raking in about $7 billion annually across the country.
"That’s a large piece of the pie," Mathis said.
Council member Lisa Banas said she likes the idea of bringing medical marijuana production and sale out of the shadows so it can be regulated.
"By legalizing it and making it a commercial operation … there’s a benefit to that," she said.
McLean suggested such businesses might lead to an increase in crime, including robberies and break-ins.
But Banas responded that the same could be said about a bank.
"We’re ‘waiting and seeing’ … is that just a nice way of saying we’re not going to take action?" asked council member Jennifer Antel.
"I don’t want to wait and see … it’s not going to kill us to look into it," said council member Tim Rose.
After more discussion, the council agreed by consensus to ask McLean and the city’s zoning administrator to investigate options for future medical marijuana businesses in the city.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker
Full Article: Wayland Council Eyes Marijuana Business Possibilities
Author: Sherry Kuyt
Contact: MLive
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: MLive
