Pubdate: Tue, 05 May 2009
Source: Herald-Palladium, The (St. Joseph, MI)
Copyright: 2009 The Herald-Palladium
Contact:  http://www.heraldpalladium.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1378
Author: Louise Wrege
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal)

COMMITTEE ON POT ORDINANCE TO BE FORMED

ST. JOSEPH - The St. Joseph Township Board voted Monday  to form a 
committee to develop a medical marijuana  ordinance to govern 
instances in which people receive  permits from the state to grow and 
use marijuana.

Michigan voters decided in November that marijuana can  be legally 
grown and used for specific medical  conditions, but township Trustee 
Ron Griffin said the  state referendum is not complete.

"There's some holes in the current state laws that need  to be 
addressed on the local level, such as where the  sale and growth (of 
marijuana) is located," he said.  "We at the local level need to address that."

Griffin gave board members a copy of a medical  marijuana ordinance 
being considered by Niles, which  had its first reading on April 27.

The state's medical marijuana program began accepting  applications 
April 6. Anyone growing marijuana in the  state must be registered in 
this program. According to  the state, only the patient or the 
patient's primary  caregiver can grow the marijuana, and there is no 
place  in Michigan where marijuana can legally be sold. But  the 
state does not specify where or how the marijuana  can be grown.

The ordinance being considered by Niles sets several  additional 
guidelines for marijuana growers and users.  It states that marijuana 
can't be consumed in public  and can only be grown inside an enclosed 
structure with  walls and a roof and secured with locks. The location 
from which the primary caregiver provides services  can't be within 
1,000 feet of a drug-free school zone.

Township Supervisor Roger Seely said the township is in  no hurry to 
draft an ordinance. He will decide within  the next month how many 
people will be on the committee  after he talks with Police Chief 
Ross Bates for his  opinion.

Seely also wants to get the Township Planning  Commission involved in 
drafting the ordinance. In  addition, he said he heard that Lincoln 
Township is  planning to draft a similar ordinance. He said perhaps 
the two communities can work together.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom