WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI — Voters in Northfield Township have rejected a proposal that sought to ban marijuana businesses in the community north of Ann Arbor.

Unofficial election results from the Washtenaw County Clerk’s office show the proposal was soundly defeated by an near 10-point margin, with 1,058 or roughly 44% of residents voting in favor of the ban, and 1,338 or about 56% against it.

Under the proposal, Northfield Township, including Whitmore Lake, an unincorporated community partially within the township, would have joined roughly 600 Michigan communities that have banned recreational marijuana businesses, such as stores, testing labs and grow operations, since Michigan voters legalized recreational marijuana in 2018.

Nearly 64% of Northfield Township residents voted in favor of the recreational marijuana ballot proposal in 2018.

“We are absolutely thrilled with the election results,” said Dana Forrester, a Whitmore Lake resident and member of Northfield Township Green Growth, a group that opposed the proposal. “Since Marijuana is legal in Michigan, we wanted our town to have the ancillary benefits of opting in... This victory is a turning point in declaring that Northfield Township is now open for business — all business.”

The ballot initiative had attracted some controversy over the involvement of members of local government, after a 4-3 vote by the town board shot down an initial proposal to ban cannabis businesses. Township Clerk Kathy Manley, Supervisor Marlene Chockley and Trustee Tawn Beliger assisted in collecting signatures, and Township Attorney Paul Burns helped draft the final language of the proposal.