Report: Detroit has 148 marijuana dispensaries

A new report pegs the number of marijuana dispensaries in Detroit at 148.

Prior to the report, Detroit public officials could not say how many dispensaries there are, partly because they are opening at such a rapid pace but mostly because the city does not keep track of them.

The City Council is debating proposed licensing regulations. A public hearing is set for 10 a.m. Monday.

Of the 148 dispensaries in Detroit, 100 are within 1.15 miles of the suburbs; 59, including some of those near suburbs, are within 1,000 feet of an active school, according to the report, "Weed in the D," published Monday by local mapping company Loveland Technologies.

The report cautions that estimates are probably low. If so, Detroit would have more than one marijuana dispensary per square mile. The city is 139 square miles in size.

"Marijuana retail is clearly a growth business," the report says. "The numbers in this report have had to be revised upwards several times as new dispensaries opened, and more are expected to open in the near future."

Loveland Technologies put the data and corresponding map together by canvassing more than 400 miles of commercial corridors and by using online resources. The company has mapped properties in Detroit and other cities in an effort to prevent tax foreclosure and eliminate blight.

John Grover, lead surveyor for Loveland, said the report is "politically agnostic." Nobody paid Loveland to produce it, he said.

“This is a very hot legislative topic right now — regulating and licensing dispensaries. Because of the nature of the business, there’s no list out there,” Grover said. "Our goal was to put a mostly firm number and firm locations of where these were at.”

Councilman Scott Benson, who has seen many dispensaries in his northeast district, said the figures in the report seem about right.

"These numbers, while not surprising based on my informal survey of dispensaries in the 3rd District, further support the critical need to regulate these businesses," Benson said.

The proposed regulations from Councilman James Tate would set a process for licensing dispensaries and regulating where they can be located. Under the ordinances:

Existing medical marijuana shops would have to get a license or be shut down.

Operators would be subject to a police background check.

Drive-through service would be prohibited.

Dispensaries could not be within 1,000 feet of a school, religious institution or public park, or within 2,000 feet of another dispensary.

Contact Joe Guillen: 313-222-6678, jguillen@freepress.com, @joeguillen