Some Michigan communities are already saying no to marijuana businesses after voters approved the use of the drug for people 21 and older. The St. Joseph City Commission voted prior to the election to opt out, and last night the Niles City Council also voted to temporarily opt out of allowing retail marijuana sales in the city.
The St. Joseph City Commission took up the issue again Monday night after its previous vote. City attorney Laurie Schmidt reiterated the commission’s desire to give the it time to see how the regulations are being developed for the drug by the Michigan Legislature and state departments, noting they have a year from the date it takes effect to come up with those.
“We’ve seen it be a bit of a struggle (at the state level) with medical marijuana,” noted Schmidt. “This is a little bit different. It will also allow us to study the impact, pros and cons, a little more fully.”
Commissioners might revisit allowing marijuana businesses in a year, but once possession is no longer a criminal offense next month, you’ll still have to buy your weed elsewhere with St. Joseph and Niles opting out. There were questions about losing out on state revenue and federal funding, but Schmidt says it’s too early to tell on those.
