[420 Girl]

MI - The City Council Monday approved a six-month moratorium on permits or licenses for those hoping to open up medical marijuana-related businesses in the city.

The moratorium will give the city council and the planning commission six months to look into potential modifications to the code of ordinances that may establish regulations to control the sale and dispensation of medical marijuana, according to the resolution.

“There are several grey areas that have been pointed out that different communities are struggling with,” City Manager Joe Sawyer said, adding these grey areas are creating difficulties for local communities that are trying to grasp how medical marijuana businesses fit into local zoning. “It has to do with where can this be sold, under what conditions, what terms, what zoning does it belong in.”

But the moratorium isn’t intended to stop medical marijuana prescription holders from using the substance under the guidelines of state law, Sawyer said.

“Whether you like them or not, whether you’re for them or against them, that’s a totally separate issue,” Sawyer said. “Local government is not trying to undo what’s been done on the state level or by the voters, but we do have authority when it comes to zoning.”

At Monday’s meeting, council member Mike Sarrazin said medicinal marijuana is an “upcoming” issue that has become a prominent topic in many areas.

“Everyone that has an ache or a pain wants to get medicinal marijuana, and there are all kinds of people that want to grow it. And that is allowed under state law — to be a practitioner or be a primary care giver to produce this for a certain amount of clients,” Sarrazin said. “It was too early for us just to run rib shot and throw together rules and regulations to try to regulate this.”

Additionally, Sawyer noted the Owosso City Council also was scheduled to discuss putting a moratorium on medical marijuana establishments at their Monday meeting.


NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: The Argus-Press
Author: JULIANNE MATTERA
Contact: The Argus-Press
Copyright: 2010 The Argus-Press
Website: Corunna approves marijuana moratorium


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