GRAND RAPIDS, MI – The city manager no longer plans to implement marijuana decriminalization this month. City Manager Greg Sundstrom told MLive on Tuesday, Feb. 19, that he will wait until Kent County Prosecutor Bill Forsyth’s suit challenging voter-approved decriminalization runs its course.

The attorney for DecriminalizeGR, the group that put a city charter amendment decriminalizing marijuana on November’s ballot, said Sundstrom’s decision thwarts the will of Grand Rapids voters and the City Commission that appointed the manager.

“I guess my question for Greg is what’s his intention when the prosecutor appeals? This case is not going to be over for years, so what’s his rationale?” said Jack Hoffman, DCGR attorney. “He has kind of put a big bet on the table defying the city commissioners, defying the voters, and saying I don’t think you’ll fire me.

“We have to communicate to the city commissioners that this is not a matter that should be taken lightly. This is a challenge by the city manager to the authority of the citizens to run their police department the way they see fit. He’s challenging that and I don’t think it’s appropriate.”

RELATED: Grand Rapids to proceed with marijuana decriminalization 'soon'

Sundstrom last week said he planned to issue a news release setting a date to implement marijuana decriminalization “very soon,” by March 1 or earlier. The decision to wait comes after attorneys involved in the lawsuit met Monday with Kent Circuit Judge Paul Sullivan, Sundstrom said.

Sullivan last month rejected an injunction on implementing decriminalization, but the legality of decriminalization itself remains in question. Sundstrom said he expects Sullivan to make a ruling on that shortly after an April 24 hearing.

“It seems like a reasonable amount of time to wait for clarification and so as not to create confusion (about marijuana offenses),” Sundstrom said. “There’s a real concern about causing confusion with voters and citizens.

“We will wait to make an announcement until the decision by Judge Sullivan. I’ve got to make sure we’re legal.”

Most city commissioners supported the marijuana decriminalization ballot proposal that 58 percent of voters embraced at the polls. First Ward Commissioner Walt Gutowski opposed the ballot proposal, and last week said he favored waiting until the lawsuit concluded “so our police officers will be on solid ground, so they can honor the oath they took when they became police officers” to uphold the law.

A key argument in Forsyth's case is that the voter-approved city charter amendment would prohibit Grand Rapids police from bringing marijuana offenses to his attention, potentially incriminating cops for trying to enforce state marijuana law.

Hoffman said Sundstrom is being pressured by law-enforcement interests to hold off on marijuana decriminalization.

“They said something to him to change his mind,” he said. “What it was, I don’t know.”

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