The Milford Village Council voted Monday, Aug. 6 to approve an extension of the village's moratorium on medical marijuana facilities, now spanning until Jan. 7, 2013. The council also directed that a draft ordinance regarding medical marijuana be written for its consideration. The moratorium forbids land being used for growing and distributing medical marijuana, and bans allowing schools from providing training on the cultivation, processing, and distribution of the drug. According to Interim Village Manager Deborah Frazer, Village Attorney Jennifer Elowsky and Planning Consultant Nick Lomako have been working on a draft ordinance for the village, but nothing has been finalized due to concerns that there will be more changes to the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act (MMMA). [continues 155 words]
The West Bloomfield Township Board of Trustees voted 4-3 last week to approve the drafting of an ordinance amendment banning the dispensing and sale of medical marijuana in retail, business and commercial establishments in the township. This action came before the board approved the introduction of an extension to the township's moratorium on medical marijuana facilities through Aug. 31, 2013. The next township board meeting is scheduled for Aug. 20, when the moratorium extension is expected to come up for final adoption. [continues 271 words]
With questions still swirling in legal and political circles about the exact ramifications and requirements of the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act (MMMA) -- approved by the state Legislature following overwhelming popular support at the polls in the 2008 general election -- the Oakland County Board of Commissioners is expected in the coming months to work on drafting a new, "firmer" stance on the state law. Commissioner Shelley Taub (R-Orchard Lake), who also chairs the board's Republican Caucus, said work will begin later this month or in February and various stakeholders -- including county Prosecutor Jessica Cooper and county Sheriff Michael Bouchard -- will be included in the process. [continues 338 words]
The Milford Village Council voted on Dec. 5 to approve an extension of the village's moratorium on medical marijuana facilities for another six months, a move that now pushes the moratorium's expiration date to June 4, 2012. The village originally passed its moratorium for six months back in June 2010, and this marks the third time that the moratorium has been extended for six months. The moratorium forbids land uses for growing and distributing medical marijuana or allowing schools to provide training on the cultivation, processing, and distribution of the drug. [continues 203 words]
As local governments in the lakes area and around the state struggle to cope with the unintended side effects of the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act that followed voter support for a ballot measure in 2008, every medical marijuana patient and identified primary caregiver registered with the state Department of Community Health would be searchable by local police in real time if a bill pending in the Michigan Senate receives the blessings of three-quarters of the members in both legislative chambers. [continues 648 words]
The White Lake Township Board of Trustees unanimously decided to extend the moratorium on medicinal marijuana facility approvals for another six months at its Dec. 13 meeting. This marks the second time the moratorium has been extended since the passage of the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act. The original moratorium was set to expire on Oct. 6, 2010. At that time, the board decided to extend the moratorium another 90 days to give officials time to study how other communities have been addressing the issue. Those 90 days are set to expire tomorrow, Thursday, Jan. 6. [continues 266 words]
The Orchard Lake City Council voted on Monday, Dec. 20 to extend a moratorium on allowing medical marijuana operations in the city for another six months. The moratorium is set to expire June 21, 2011. The recommendation was forwarded to the City Council by the Planning Commission. "It allows the Planning Commission more time to deliberate and allows for more time for the implementation of the legislation to develop," said City Clerk Janet Overholt-Green. Initially the City Council imposed a six-month moratorium on medical marijuana operations to give planners and officials adequate time to study areas within the city where medical marijuana facilities might be permissible, in response to Michigan voters legalizing marijuana for medical use during the 2008 general election. [continues 225 words]
The Wolverine Lake Village Council voted on Wednesday, Dec. 8 to extend a moratorium on the sale, cultivation and dispensing of medical marijuana in the village for another six months. The moratorium will expire July 14, 2011. The recommended extension was forwarded to the Village Council by the Planning Commission. "This gives the Planning Commission time to come up with a local ordinance to cover all aspects of growing and selling medical marijuana," said Village Council President John Magee. "They are looking for a reasonable approach to regulating it locally under state law." [continues 270 words]
The six-month moratorium preventing medical marijuana operations from opening up in Wixom has been extended for another six months. The Wixom City Council voted 6-0 on the measure at its Tuesday, Nov. 9 meeting, based on a recommendation by the Planning Commission. Mayor Pro Tem Richard Ziegler wasn't present at last week's meeting. An ordinance eventually may be deemed necessary to help regulate medical marijuana in the city and guide law enforcement efforts in combating any illegal drug activity. [continues 343 words]
Legislation awaiting a hearing in the Michigan House of Representatives Health Policy Committee would amend Michigan law to bar anyone convicted of any felony from serving as a caregiver who can provide medical marijuana to registered patients. Currently, state law prohibits only felons who have been convicted of a drug-related offense from being medical marijuana caregivers. House Bill (HB) 6299, introduced by state Rep. Marty Knollenberg (R-Troy), has a series of co-sponsors from the lakes area, including state Reps. Eileen Kowall (R-White Lake, Waterford), Chuck Moss (R-Orchard Lake), and Gail Haines (R-Waterford, West Bloomfield). [continues 293 words]
On Nov. 5, 2008, Michigan became the 13th state in the U.S. to legalize marijuana for medical use, by a statewide vote of 63 percent to 37 percent on Michigan Proposal 08-1. That may be the last time there was a clear consensus on medical marijuana use in Michigan, as municipalities seek to define its use in their borders, law enforcement officers aren't sure whether it's really legal or not, doctors debate whether its efficacy is up to snuff, caregivers seek patients and patients search for caregivers. [continues 4153 words]
The city of Walled Lake may be the first municipality in the lakes area to enact an ordinance regulating the operation of medical marijuana dispensaries. Walled Lake City Council approved a first reading of an ordinance at its June 15 meeting after tabling the initiative last month. "A couple of businesses are looking at the possibility of coming into the city, and that's why we need some regulation, otherwise the way the zoning and planning are currently, we could have them come in with no regulation at all," Mayor William Roberts said. "The ordinance helps protect the community as a whole, and creates a situation where the potential business must live up to state and local ordinances." [continues 755 words]
Orchard Lake Village Council unanimously voted to impose a six-month moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries in the city at its June 21 meeting. The moratorium does not cover patients who obtain a prescription card for personal medicinal use. Mayor Bruce McIntyre spearheaded the discussion after the city received several inquiries from caregivers seeking a site for a dispensary, including one in the Orchard Commons Shopping Center. "It's precautionary," McIntyre said. "We're just opening the door to the subject. The law passed in Michigan is pretty vague, and there are things to consider, like looking at it from a zoning standpoint, for example." [continues 337 words]
