Marijuana won at the ballot box in Ecorse, but Clinton Township voters just said no to legal weed businesses.

By a 818-659 margin in Tuesday's election, city voters said that the city council should write an ordinance that will allow marijuana businesses to locate within city limits. The ballot proposal did not detail now many licenses should be awarded for legal weed shops, leaving that decision up to the city.

The Ecorse City Council voted in September to prohibit marijuana businesses, but held open the possibility that it would review the issue at a future date, City Clerk Dana Hughes said.

In Clinton Township, voters denied a proposal to authorize and regulate marijuana establishments by a 15,163-13,648 vote.

More:New marijuana rules could translate into higher prices, short supplies of legal weed

More:Legal weed businesses on Tuesday's ballot in Clinton Township, Ecorse

The proposal would have called for up to 12 recreational marijuana shops and three each of growers, processors, secure transporters and testing facilities.

The township Board of Trustees has voted twice to prohibit marijuana businesses, first in April 2019 and again last fall when the board voted 3-4 against a proposed ordinance that would have allowed in a limited number of legal weed businesses. That ordinance, which would have allowed five marijuana retailers in the township, was designed to derail the petition drive, township Supervisor Bob Cannon said.

The proposals were just the latest from marijuana enthusiasts who are trying to defy towns that have opted out of the marijuana industry. More than a dozen communities have had the issue on the ballot in previous elections with little success. In metro Detroit, the only proposal to allow in businesses that has passed was in Lincoln Park in November.

Legal weed businesses didn't do very well in Michigan on Tuesday. A total of nine communities had pot proposals on the ballot and only three communities gave the thumbs-up to marijuana. Ecorse voters passed the marijuana friendly proposal while voters in Big Rapids and Holton Township in Muskegon rejected proposals that would ban pot shops.

Of the other six, Petoskey passed one proposal that allows medical marijuana facilities, and passed another that said recreational marijuana businesses can't come in without approval from city voters. Clinton Township, Central Lake Township in Antrim County and Sidney Township in Montcalm County rejected proposals to allow pot shops. Chippewa Township in Mecosta and Crystal Lake Township in Benzie County, for a second time, passed proposals banning marijuana businesses.

According to an unofficial list developed by the Michigan Marijuana Regulatory Agency, 1,425 communities have decided they don’t want marijuana businesses in their towns, while at least 42 have passed ordinances that will allow pot businesses. Many cities, including Detroit, decided against allowing in legal weed businesses until they can develop ordinances.

Contact Kathleen Gray: 313-223-4430, kgray99@freepress.com or on Twitter @michpoligal.