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COUNCIL SEEKS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON POSSIBLE MEDICAL MARIJUANA ORDINANCE

The East Lansing City Council is seeking additional input from the city police department regarding a possible medicinal marijuana ordinance following a work session Tuesday at which councilmembers expressed slightly differing views of how the ordinance might be created. 

The discussion was introduced by Assistant City Attorney Tom Yeadon because the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act, or MMMA, which legalized the possession of marijuana for medicinal purposes, does not define how to deal with dispensaries.  Among the possibilities discussed Tuesday were allowing only home occupancy dispensaries, only storefront dispensaries or banning dispensaries entirely. 

Mayor Vic Loomis requested more information on how the East Lansing Police Department feels regarding medicinal marijuana dispensaries in the city, because it will be responsible for enforcing the laws. 

"It seems regardless with whatever way we go, they're going to be challenged," Loomis said.  "( ELPD's ) opinion is going to weigh heavily on whatever decision I make.  They're the people that have to make whatever we do work."

East Lansing police Chief Tom Wibert said Monday he is in favor of the city clarifying the law. 

City staff came up with a sample ordinance to allow dispensaries as home occupancies in East Lansing.  The purpose of the sample ordinance was to provide possible scenarios for the city to work with, should one be passed at a later date. 

"This might have an undesirable affect of moving these business into residential neighborhoods," Yeadon said.  "But it is meant to make it a rather innocuous setting."

Councilmembers were hesitant to jump on the home occupancy plan, or dispensaries at all, but Yeadon said voters chose to allow medicinal marijuana with the passing of the MMMA in 2008. 

"If we don't allow it and we prosecute people for doing what they're doing, we are in violation of state law," he said. 

The discussion was brought to council because there is belief the MMMA is ripe for abuse, Yeadon said. 

Restrictions on the home occupancy dispensaries in East Lansing would include a caregiver - a person authorized to grow and sell marijuana to registered medicinal marijuana patients - living more than 1,000 feet away from a school and have no more than two patients in the home at any given time. 

Despite the suggested restrictions on the home occupancies to make observing the dispensaries easier for police, the council requested a report by the police department. 

Most of the council ended the discussion undecided, but open minded.  Councilmember Nathan Triplett said he would prefer a special use permit and the use of a storefront. 

"Dispersing it into the neighborhoods, where it's all difficult to monitor, seems to be problematic for me," Triplett said.  "A public space, the police can check on it all the time.  I have a strong opinion the more we can put this in a place that can be easily monitored, the better."